Charles Rostaing (9 October 1904 – 24 April 1999) was a French

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingu ...

who specialised in

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

.Obituary
by Jean-Claude Bouvier

Biography

Charles Rostaing was one of the most famous specialists in French place names in general and

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...

in particular of the 20th century. He was also the grandfather of the biographer Alain Wodrascka. After his higher studies from 1923 to 1926 in

Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille ...

where he was a pupil of Georges Lote and Emile Ripert, he obtained his

Agrégation In France, the ''agrégation'' () is a competitive examination for civil service in the French public education system. Candidates for the examination, or ''agrégatifs'', become ''agrégés'' once they are admitted to the position of ''profe ...

in grammar in 1928. He was a high school teacher in

Alès Alès (; oc, Alès) is a commune in the Gard department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the department. It was formerly known as ''Alais''. Geography Alès lies north-northwest of Nîmes, o ...

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

, and

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...

then in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

from 1934 to 1946. Just before the defence of his thesis he entered higher education in October 1946 as a lecturer in the language and literature of

in the Faculty of Arts of Aix-en-Provence. In the following year after defending his thesis, he became a senior lecturer and then Professor of classic French language and literature in 1948 before succeeding Auguste Brun, in 1952, to the Chair of Romance languages - a post he held until his departure for the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

in 1967. He was director of the ''Centre for Education and Research for Occitan'' from 1967 to 1974. Majoral of

Félibrige The ''Félibrige'' (; in classical Occitan, in Mistralian spelling, ) is a literary and cultural association founded in 1854 by Frédéric Mistral and other Provençal writers to defend and promote the Occitan language (also called the ) and ...

in 1952, he became the ninth ''capoulié'' (president) from 1956 to 1962.

Bibliography

Sources:''
University System documentation
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National Library of France
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Virtual International Authority File
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Gemeinsame Normdatei
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WorldCat

Written by Charles Rostaing only

*''Place names'', Presses Universitaires de France Collection ''What do I know?'', 1st edition 1945, 7th edition 1969, reprinted in 1992 *''Essay on the toponymy of Provence'', ed. by Artrey, Paris, 1950 *''Essay on the toponymy of Provence (from the beginning to the barbarian invasions)'', Laffite Reprints, Marseille, 1973 (1st edition 1950) *''Essay on the toponymy of Provence'', Ed. Jeanne Laffitte, Marseille, 1994

Written in collaboration

Albert Dauzat Albert Dauzat (; 4 July 1877 – 31 October 1955) was a French linguist specializing in toponymy and onomastics. Dauzat, a student of Jules Gilliéron, was a director of studies at the École des hautes études. Works * ''L'argot des poilus; ...

and Charles Rostaing, ''Etymological dictionary of place names in France'', Ed. Larousse, 1968 *Charles Rostaing and Rene Jouveau, ''Summary of Provencal literature'', Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, 1972 *Albert Dauzat and Charles Rostaing, ''Etymological dictionary of place names in France'', 2nd edition Librairie Guénégaud, Paris 1978 *Albert Dauzat, Gaston Deslandes, and Charles Rostaing, ''Etymological dictionary of names of rivers and mountains in France'', Klincksieck, 1978

Biography

Bibliography

Written by Charles Rostaing only

Written in collaboration

See also

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References