Ribadesella
Ribeseya
Principado de Asturias
Compound: riba (from the Latin ripa 'bank, shore') + de Sella, the hydronym of the river that flows here. Sella is of disputed etymology — possibly pre-Roman over a hydronymic root sel-—. Documented since the 10th century.
Evolution of the name
- Sella (hidrónimo) pre-Roman before the 1st century BC
- Ripa Selie medieval Latin 9th–12th century
- Ribadesella / Ribeseya Asturleonese / medieval Castilian from the 13th century
Reflections, to the letter
A kilometre from the centre, the Tito Bustillo cave holds rock paintings 15,000 years old — horses, deer, bison, hands in negative print, contemporary with those of Altamira. The toponym is just the latest chapter of a much older toponymy than any written language: the river Sella has been inhabited uninterruptedly since the Upper Palaeolithic.
Glossary
- Anthroponym
- A personal name, often used as the base of toponyms (Lucronius → Logroño, Sigerici → Castrojeriz).
- Etymology
- The origin and history of a word and the phonetic and semantic changes it has undergone. An etymology may be confirmed, probable or disputed depending on documentary attestations and linguistic parallels.
- Hydronym
- A place name derived from the name of a river, lake or watercourse. Sella, Eo, Carrión, Cueza, Lima: all hydronyms that name the towns on their banks.
- Palatalisation
- Softening of a sound as its articulation shifts toward the palate.
- Pre-Roman
- Prior to the Romanisation of the Iberian peninsula (3rd century BC); applied to toponyms, linguistic roots and populations.
- Yeísmo
- The pronunciation of palatal ll as y (yod). In eastern Asturian and much of present-day spoken Castilian: Ribadesella → Ribeseya, caballo → cabayo, lluvia → yuvia.
Sources
- Cano González, A.M. — Diccionario Etimológico de la Toponimia Asturiana
- Balbín Behrmann, R. de — La cueva de Tito Bustillo
- Menéndez Pidal, R. — Toponimia prerrománica hispana
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Camino del Norte