Here's a question

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Alan Morrison

Alan Morrison

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Following on from the interesting response to JT's @jttheclockman question ' Craftman or Artist?' my query is
Why is there not a fancy name for a pen maker?
If you make string instruments you are called a luthier....from the French for lute.
If you make someone a cup of coffee you are called a barista...from the Italian.

Any funny suggestions?
 
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Not funny names, but Stylier or Plumier might be good candidates. Both based on French words for pens (Stylo & Plume) in different contexts.
 
True. My mom was English. Our lsnguages (indo-european) were/are mostly derived from Latin, progressing thru the Germanic periods, giving rise to German and its cousins, and Old English and its cousins, with geographical population's entomology mixed in. Modern English is mixed with almost all indo-european derivates, but the roots are still pedominately Latin as is Spanish, Italian, French,etc. That's why Yiddish is almost identical to High German.
Sorry, this was one of my majors in college and languages are kind of a hobby. To me as an English speaker, Dutch is not very difficult to understand for the most part as many Dutch words are similar to English with some spelling and pronunciation differences. English to a nonEnglish speaker must be a bear to learn with its grammatical quirks, larger alphabet and phonetics. Talk about non standardization.
 
Velcrodog said:
True. My mom was English. Our lsnguages (indo-european) were/are mostly derived from Latin, progressing thru the Germanic periods, giving rise to German and its cousins, and Old English and its cousins, with geographical population's entomology mixed in. Modern English is mixed with almost all indo-european derivates, but the roots are still pedominately Latin as is Spanish, Italian, French,etc. That's why Yiddish is almost identical to High German.
Sorry, this was one of my majors in college and languages are kind of a hobby. To me as an English speaker, Dutch is not very difficult to understand for the most part as many Dutch words are similar to English with some spelling and pronunciation differences. English to a nonEnglish speaker must be a bear to learn with its grammatical quirks, larger alphabet and phonetics. Talk about non standardization.
Click to expand...
Yeah, essentially the same thing. Old English mangere, from mangian 'to traffic', of Germanic origin, based on Latin mango 'dealer'. Meister would be the Germanic offshoot, Smith the modern English offshooot, but in English you have, for example, a smith, a person who makes things primarily from metals, ( a meister) in the generic sense while a pen maker makes pens from primarily wood, metal, acrylic, etc, in a more specific tense. That's why you have in English a fishmonger rather than a fishsmith or fishmeister. Thats the beauty of languages and semantics. Once the basic entemology of words are learned, then the communication between modern languages is much easier taking into consideration the linage of the word from the root to the specific language it has evolved into. Damn, I'm back in grad school. But, enjoying the conversation!
 
Well in the Netherlands they never translated tv or films so we had to watch it in English with subtitles. Even nowadays. Thats one of the reasons many dutch people speak proper English.
I know they have a Meister title in Germany for very good carpenters and other craftsman. They are allowed to wear special black vests and a black hat. They are pretty well looked at. In the Netherlands craftsman are a bit looked down upon. But that's changing because they are hard to find now and make tons of money.
Meister or Meester in dutch is someone who has a high level of competence and also teaches apprentices. Teachers in pre high school are also called meester.
 
Niels said:
Well in the Netherlands they never translated tv or films so we had to watch it in English with subtitles. Even nowadays. Thats one of the reasons many dutch people speak proper English.
I know they have a Meister title in Germany for very good carpenters and other craftsman. They are allowed to wear special black vests and a black hat. They are pretty well looked at. In the Netherlands craftsman are a bit looked down upon. But that's changing because they are hard to find now and make tons of money.
Meister or Meester in dutch is someone who has a high level of competence and also teaches apprentices. Teachers in pre high school are also called meester.
Click to expand...
I watch foreign movies on tv with subtitles as well, thats one reason I can tell many if the words in the language are the same or similar to English. England's butchers wear special hats as do chimney
sweepers. I think is the same here about craftsmen although I guess it dends on what they do. I think its something I wish I had learned when younger but I don't think I hav
e aptitude needed, so I went the other direction.
 
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