Talk:Etymology of Kolkata

According to the entry on the etymology of Kolkata, the city's name is "probably" derived from the village Kalikata. It is true that some refer to the city as Kalikata, but the name Kolkata or Calcutta cannot be derived from this village-name. Kalikata and Kolkata is two different words, with different etymology. The reference to Kalikata in order to explain Kolkata is actually primarily a folk-etymology, which cannot be explained either concerning linguistic changes or culturally (like changing the pronunciation of Kali Ma). I would like to refer to P. Thankappan Nair's book "Calcutta in the 17th Century" for an English discussion of the etymology.

When it comes to early references to Kalikata, these are also incorrect - even as there is made a reference to Britannica. It's occurrence in Bipradaser Manasamangal is an interpolation, and the oldest Mughal/Persian reference is from 1698.

In short - the word Kolkata cannot be derived from the word Kalikata. It is two separate words, which needs separate etymological explanation. Again, the English name Calcutta can with a high degree of certainty be derived from Kolkata, but not from Kalikata. Kolkata1972 11:22, 16 August 2007 (UTC)