TOPONYMY, TAXONOMY AND PLACE Explicating the French concepts of presqu'île and péninsule

• Published in: Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures
• Main Authors: Fleury, Christian, Raoulx, Benoît
• Other Authors: Espaces et Sociétés (ESO), Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Le Mans Université (UM)-Université d'Angers (UA)-AGROCAMPUS OUEST-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2), Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Université de Rennes (UNIV-RENNES)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes (IGARUN), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN), Université de Caen Normandie - UFR de Sciences Économiques, Gestion, Géographie et Aménagement des Territoires (UNICAEN UFR SEGGAT), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2016
• Subjects: Peninsula; péninsule; presqu'île; almost island; toponymy; Kerguelen Islands; Cotentin; Geopolitics of coastal areas; [SHS]Humanities and Social Sciences; [SHS.GEO]Humanities and Social Sciences/Geography; Antarctic; Indian; Kerguelen; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02333859; https://hal.science/hal-02333859/document; https://hal.science/hal-02333859/file/d.-Fleury-%26-Raoulx-Shima-v10n1-incorrect.pdf; https://doi.org/10.21463/shima.10.1.04

International audience This article discusses the concepts of and differences between the French terms presqu'île (almost island) and péninsule (peninsula) and their toponymic uses. The discussion raises a number of questions including how and why particular places are named presqu'île or péninsule. We will first focus on examples located in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands and then in mainland France. These two case study areas are complementary. The first example, the Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean, has been the site of a recent attempt to normalise place-naming for the purpose of asserting sovereignty. The second one, the Cotentin, is a part of Normandy, whose long history of human inhabitation has provided several layers of toponymy. Finally we refer to the use of the term presqu'île in the context of urban riverfront revitalisation. In the latter usage, cities try to promote their locations by using the image of the peninsular 'almost island'. The reflections presented in the article show the complexity involved in naming and interpreting locations as either peninsulas or 'almost islands'.