Popular toponomastics pathways in Sicily: contacts between categories and new connotations

This study is a reflection on the category of popular toponym and on the pathways which they are subjected to. It operates in two directions: the first one is that of onomaturgy, the second one takes into account overextensions, secondary connotations and people's consciousness of places. The first issue moves from the reflections resulted from the collection of ethnic nicknames (or blasons pupulaires) in Sicily. In particular, we start from the observation according to which popular anthroponyms can contribute to generate in speakers popular toponyms that follow a pathway of overlapping/substitution like the one concerning ethnics and blasons populaires. The second issue regards official toponyms related to locations that have been charged with connotations in popular consciousness, becoming symbols or passing from proper nouns to common nouns on the basis of true or presumed peculiarities. It is the case of "Carrapipi" (today "Valguarnera Caropepe" in province of Enna), that indicates any place whose localization is difficult to identify, or that of Milocca (today "Milena" in province of Caltanissetta), which has become any remote place par excellence.