Le parole che indicano altura nella toponomastica trentina

In this paper we analyze Trentino toponyms referring to ground elevations. After providing a definition of the word “altura” (elevation), we present the Dizionario Toponomastico Trentino - DTT, a database which constitutes the main source for finding those names which are the objects of our investigation. The research in the database is conducted using as keywords those terms which are synonyms of “altura”. The result of the inquiry gives more than two thousand toponyms, that we organize in some different groups, each of them reflecting a different word used in Trentino dialects for referring to ground elevations (dòs, còl, zima, cima, còsta, mont, castel, corno). At the end of our work, we focus on two particular areas, Castel Thun in Val di Non and Bosentino in Valsugana: in the first area we identify a net of toponyms which are in reciprocal relation and in relation with the main “altura”, that is Castel Thun; in the second area a brief historical research is conducted on the Dizionario Toponomastico Antico – DTA, in order to show the names of elevations attested in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Bosentino. The following data show that many different toponyms referring to ground elevations are present in Trentino. The variety of these names is a consequence of the fact that different dialects are spoken in the area. Furthermore, the paper confirms the importance of having well organized data-bases for developing this kind of linguistic research.