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Toponymic in Catalonia

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The Basque toponyms are very abundant in the zone where people spoke still during the roman occupation, and possibly at the beginning of the medium age. The Valley of the Muga is the end of this zone, in the west. We must consider that Muga means limit or border, in Basque. Our interest is finding toponyms that come out of this limits, so that demonstrate the existence of euskalduns populations beyond the pirineus:

Some Pyrenean examples

The little villages of Iran, Irgo and Esperan form set geographically and linguistically: Iran= big population, Irgo, little population and Esperan, the Iran under the stone. It is a similar set to Estaüja (esti-goia, fence of above) and Estàvar (esti-barren, fence of low), in Cerdanya. In this region, some as simple as Ur, literally "water", or Llo, before "Allo", literally "grazes" are found more of twenty examples. Esterri (literally, town enclosed) Taüll (ata-uli, population of the door, this is, mountain pass) ". In the same way than "Núria" in the S.XI "Annuria" was written, an- more "uria", current Basque surname that means "current of water". Lladorre, before lidorre, Lid=avalanche orre=place, then, "place of avalanches".

Key words

Garr- / Harr / Karr / Quer: The Basque word Karr- (or harri, today in batua Basque) has given place in many Catalan toponimycs, either directly, or by means of the "quer" derivative, that during the medium age meant "rock". For example: Bar horse ("cavall bernat"): Name given to the well documented "worshiped dicks"("caralls venerats"). They are stones with a falic form, like dolmens. There is some in the Vallès, low Llobregat, Empordà, Alacant and Menorca.

From quer: Queralbs, 'white rocks'. Queralt, 'high rock'.

Algarra, Garrancha, or Caroch (these towards the coast) Bugarra.

Garcia is one village of the Ribera D'ebre, that turns up with C- (sound of k) in the four more ancient mentions (1153-1170), being its prefix then "car-ceia".

In the Ribera D'ebre there is an entry"The Gorraptes", long ago "Garroptes": derivation of Garr(stone)- bide(way), the same as Olor-bide has now made Olopte, in the Cerdanya.

Iturri: In the cerdanya still, the village of Dorres were called in the C. IX "Iturri". This word means "fountain". Gives name in many places like Torà, Tura ... Often disappears the initial "i", as Iturissa (ancient Tossa). Possiblemet assimilated into "tower", like in the case of "La Torre de Fontaubella", or "La Torre de l'Espanyol", villages where is not known the existence of any tower, but important fountains.

Places out of the Pyrenean toponymic concentrations

Berrús: beraountze=berro-on-tze: place of bramble

Sitges, ancient Hiri-buru, main city

Sanaüja: Zani-goia, antiquily "high guardian", with reference to the high castle.

Segarra: Literally apple or apple tree.

Sarral: place of sand of river

Súria: white

Ondara, riu: Ondar means sand in basque

Names to consider in studys: Arbós, Alós de Balaguer, Báscara ( maybe d'ibai=river and car-stone), Ibars.

Ascó, with the ancient name "adskone" or "aizkone" = little rock