From Alken to Utbremen: Names of towns, districts and streets in the city of Bremen

Abstract

In the city of Bremen and its incorporated districts, place names today are a mixture of Low German and High German elements. This article focuses on this mélange and deals with the change in the toponymy of Bremen, a defined area in which multilingualism was a part of everyday life for a long time. After a period in which Low German was the predominate language, High German and Low German were both used. Today, however, High German predominates. This – at least – partial multilingualism is also reflected in the development of toponyms. The article investigates the toponymy of Bremen, with a focus on its multilingualism, documenting the city's changing linguistic history.