About Me

I am a collector of words, places and people. I am fascinated by how languages work and what the origins of words and place names reveal about a country’s languages, culture and history. 

I’m British. I’ve been a university professor, English teacher, teacher trainer, professional trainer and development consultant. I have a working knowledge of many languages, including French, German, Latin, Welsh, Breton, Sanskrit, Hindi and Tamil. And a passion for linguistics, history, social science and philosophy.

I have travelled to nearly fifty countries and have been fortunate enough to live and work in three of them: India, Sri Lanka and France. I lived and worked in India, north and south, and Sri Lanka for nearly ten years, and I have now lived in Brittany for the last eleven.  

I am the author of Colombo-Jumbo: The Origin of Colombo’s Street Names (Aradur Press, 2012), Quimper-Vannes: A Journey through the Place Names of Brittany (Aradur Press, 2026), and I am currently writing books on Indian tribal communities and the place names of Europe.

I hope this website makes a small contribution to understanding the languages, histories and cultures of India & Sri Lanka.

Enjoy it and contribute if you can!

GEOFF ELLS

geoffells@placenameswallah.com

For more on Indian place names and history see Toponymy on the Ashoka Express

For a journey through tribal India & SL see my site Headhunting with Marguerite