ABERDEEN & ICOS XIX
A report of the 19th International Congress of Onomastic Sciences, held in Aberdeen August 4-11, 1996. It is by the retiring president of the International Council of Onomastic Sciences, Professor W.F.H. Nicolaisen (and an honorary preses of the Society).
After 18 previous, mostly triennial, meetings in France, Belgium, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, England, Austria, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Poland, the U.S.A., Canada, and Finland, the International Congress of Onomastic Sciences was held for the first time in Scotland. It was organised by myself at the end of my three-year appointment as President of the International Council of Onomastic Sciences, which acted as co-host together with the University of Aberdeen. The congress attracted more than 200 name scholars from more than 40 countries. The main theme of the congress "Scope, Perspectives, and Methods of Onomastics" - allowed participants to offer papers on a broad variety of approaches to the study of names, including place-names, personal names, brand-names, onomastic theory, and national name archives. In addition to the 170 sectional papers, four plenary sessions in English (2), French, and German, emphasised the relationship of name studies with adjacent disciplines such as history, geography, politics and education. A day excursion took delegates to various parts of the Scottish north-east, and the social aspects of this otherwise academic gathering were catered for by two receptions (university and city), three concerts, and a special Scottish dinner. The congress created, through its structure and location, an interactive community of scholars on an international level. The next congress will be held in 1999 in Spain at Santiago de Compostella.
W.F.H. Nicolaisen.
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