Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

RobT · 23rd April 2008, 03:45 AM

Hi VVV,
I am not entirely convinced that the differences of your examples when pronounced are as great as they appear when spelled out (i.e. the cognates dha and darb) but, for argument's sake I'll concede the point. We are then left without a commonly accepted name in Europe for this type if knife. Leuku isn't acceptable internationally because it is a Finnish word for a Lap knife. Puukko won't do either because it fails to distinguish between two stylistically different knives (and it has the same drawback as leuku). What could be more natural then to name the knife after the people it is closely associated with? We do this all the time with African pieces when the actual name of the item isn't known (witness Salumpasa or Yaka sword, Ovambo knife). What would be "strange" in an international forum about applying the same convention to a European piece?
Sincerely,
RobT

23rd April 2008, 03:45 AM	#12
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 452	Full Circle Hi VVV, I am not entirely convinced that the differences of your examples when pronounced are as great as they appear when spelled out (i.e. the cognates dha and darb) but, for argument's sake I'll concede the point. We are then left without a commonly accepted name in Europe for this type if knife. Leuku isn't acceptable internationally because it is a Finnish word for a Lap knife. Puukko won't do either because it fails to distinguish between two stylistically different knives (and it has the same drawback as leuku). What could be more natural then to name the knife after the people it is closely associated with? We do this all the time with African pieces when the actual name of the item isn't known (witness Salumpasa or Yaka sword, Ovambo knife). What would be "strange" in an international forum about applying the same convention to a European piece? Sincerely, RobT