A Few Good Words for Generic Places: Especially Those Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

Abstract

Abstract Names of generic places are reliable indicators of the functions of those places even though they may be ephemeral and may be vaguely defined. These places have a variety of functions and bear such names as Pioneer Settlement, Disaster Site, Auction Yard, Boom Town, Borrow Pit, and Annexation Area. Certain ephemeral placenames are exemplary of the process of generic naming, such as Abandoned Area and Black Neighborhood Auto Repair Street.