Word pronounciation!

[Geoff Withnell]

Bucklers were a small round shield, as well, but they were typically all-metal construction. A buckler looks essentially like this:



A targe looks like this:



It's wood covered with leather.

And speaking of pronounciation problems- it took me almost a year to actually meet someone with the name Donnachaidh so I could find out how that one was pronounced!! She and I have since become good friends. I'm making a wood and leather camp stool for my Donnachaidh friend at the moment!

As I understand it, usually a buckler was a tad smaller than the targe - 6"-18" vs 15"-24". The buckler was used in a bit more active fashion, not just blocking the opponents strokes, but actively parrying them; and since smaller, could be faster. When used offensively, it could strike, almost like a set of brass knuckles.

[Donnachaidh]

Hi highthawk...

my surname is actually Donachie.
I've been in Canada 17 years now and I've met nobody who can say it properly..even my wife, who is Danish has problems with it..

G

[Dale Seago]

Hi highthawk...

my surname is actually Donachie.
I've been in Canada 17 years now and I've met nobody who can say it properly..even my wife, who is Danish has problems with it..

G

Mike Myers' voice in character as Shrek:

"Donkey?!?"

[EagleJCS]

Hi highthawk...

my surname is actually Donachie.
I've been in Canada 17 years now and I've met nobody who can say it properly..even my wife, who is Danish has problems with it..

G

I would first think DON-a-hee. (With the 'h' slightly aspirated - at the back of the throat).

The second pronunciation that comes to mind is don-ACK-ee.


As far as the OP, I've always thought targe was pronounced as TARG, with a hard G (like target, without the 't' on the end). But then, I hadn't knowingly even seen the word until I started looking at my (possible) Scottish heritage.

[OC Richard]

targaid (target, shield) is in both my Irish and Scottish Gaelic dictionaries.

In Scottish Gaelic, the final D would sound much like an English J, due to the fact that it is slender.

The medial G would be devoiced.

So, TARK-uj.

Question is, is targaid borrowed from English, or borrowed from Old Norse? I suppose one could establish it as a native Celtic word if cognates were found in Cornish, Breton, Manx, and Welsh.

Anyhow since targe is a Middle English borrowing from French, would it not be "tarj" with a soft j sound (as in the French name Jean) ?

[Donnachaidh]

Don 'ach' ie......if you think of L'och' as in Lomond...or 'och' aye...that's the way it sounds, although I've had the Italian sounding 'Don Achee' said to me afore, followed by a respectful bow and alarmed look..

G

[saxandpipes]

I'm always reluctant to pull people up (especially in writing!) on their spelling or grammar- of course, that's when one is bound to make mistakes themselves! :S But I'm reminded of a very good friend of mine who is always critical of people's "pronounciation".

I always have to laugh quietly to myself.

(edit: I knew I would miss something...irony, anyone?)

(double edit: would that be double-irony?...) :S

[Droid]

If I may commandeer this thread for a moment... while on the subject of pronunciations... I've never heard anyone say sgian dubh. How is it correctly pronounced?

[Jock Scot]

If I may commandeer this thread for a moment... while on the subject of pronunciations... I've never heard anyone say sgian dubh. How is it correctly pronounced?

SKIan doo.

[Donnachaidh]

Hi sax..would that be a non noun then or whit ??