Naming an alien city-

[mary_j_59]

[Poll #1835299]

Comments

[condwiramurs.livejournal.com]

I like Kassin - it is similar enough to real cities to have a city-like feel for me, I guess, without being too familiar or too odd/hard to pronounce. As far as rendering the name in English, something like Emperor's Landing works, although that one feels just a touch bulky to me. Hmm. Good luck though!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I think I like that one, too, for the reasons you mention. The other (small) city in the tale is called Dry Rivers - the Telaka people tend to work that way, naming their places and families for obvious geographical features. The reason I came up with Newport as a name in the first place was a line from A Town Like Alice, when Jean explains to the barrister that Kuala Lumpur actually just means Newport, and that, once you know a language and understand what the names mean, place names are easy to remember. But Kassin can mean Newport without anyone being the wiser, and it sounds a lot more exotic!

[mary-j-59.livejournal.com]

Just about everyone who replied likes Kassin, so it will be Kassin harbor. Thanks!