Tilang Kamerau

A. G. Maisey · 22nd October 2015, 12:18 AM

Yep, we can blame that hated Latin for much.

In Classical Malay, "kamera" is a ship's cabin; in Italian a "camera" is a hotel room; Javanese also uses "kamar" for room; then we have the English camera, which is essentially a small room --- ie, small enclosed space --- and of course Ian's "in camera". Actually, the Oxford on Historical Principles devotes around 3 inches of column space to the word "camera" and its derivatives, and I need a magnifying glass to read the print.

No wonder I hated Latin so much 60 odd years ago.

As for the "kemarin" suggestion, well, yes, it does have the same vowels and consonants, but spoken, it has a sound nothing at all like "kamaran".

Personally, I feel that we may have gone as far as it is possible to go in this matter, what is really needed now is somebody who can speak the language, who can live within the society, and who understands the culture. This person could then dedicate a large part of his life to getting at the real guts of the matter. In other words:- dedicated field research, in my experience, its the only thing that really works.

Ian · 22nd October 2015, 03:27 AM

Arjan:

Well, I get to partly answer my own question.

Quote:

... Do you have additional information that this term refers to a particular sword? ...

I have come across a footnote (see attached) in the following reference:

Shelford R. An Illustrated Catalogue of the Ethnographic Collection of the Sarawak Museum: Part I Musical Instruments. Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 40, p.2. June, 1904.

The footnote implies that the tilang kamarau was indeed a sword of relatively recent origin (circa 1900) and was quite common at that time. Furthermore, the note suggests that this sword may have been a sabre similar to a parang niabor.

Ian

A. G. Maisey · 22nd October 2015, 05:34 AM

deleted

22nd October 2015, 12:18 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,736	Yep, we can blame that hated Latin for much. In Classical Malay, "kamera" is a ship's cabin; in Italian a "camera" is a hotel room; Javanese also uses "kamar" for room; then we have the English camera, which is essentially a small room --- ie, small enclosed space --- and of course Ian's "in camera". Actually, the Oxford on Historical Principles devotes around 3 inches of column space to the word "camera" and its derivatives, and I need a magnifying glass to read the print. No wonder I hated Latin so much 60 odd years ago. As for the "kemarin" suggestion, well, yes, it does have the same vowels and consonants, but spoken, it has a sound nothing at all like "kamaran". Personally, I feel that we may have gone as far as it is possible to go in this matter, what is really needed now is somebody who can speak the language, who can live within the society, and who understands the culture. This person could then dedicate a large part of his life to getting at the real guts of the matter. In other words:- dedicated field research, in my experience, its the only thing that really works. Last edited by A. G. Maisey; 22nd October 2015 at 12:46 AM. Reason: deletion of useless information

22nd October 2015, 05:34 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,736	deleted Last edited by A. G. Maisey; 22nd October 2015 at 06:35 AM. Reason: question no longer necessary