Dutch onomastics today

Abstract

Dutch onomastics today

This paper presents the achievements of the last 20 years in the field of onomastics in the Dutch-speaking countries, i.e. in the Netherlands and in the northern part of Belgium, in Flanders. By surveying the institutional background the author gives an insight into the research taking place in universities and in research institutes: she concludes that onomastics has fallen into a marginal position in these countries. The author presents the journal Naamkunde (Onomastics), the only Dutch periodical exclusively on onomastics, by reviewing its issues published between 2000 and 2002. The author also deals with other periodicals and bibliographies published in the last 20 years. In the last chapter the author reviews a less scholarly, but interesting and humorous book on the connotation of Dutch first names.