Place talk:Engwierum, Oostdongeradeel, Friesland, Netherlands

Type Field [15 March 2009]

This is a terpdorp Jennifer, a terp (very common in the Middle Ages) being a mound so as to protect the settlement from the sea; an impression: http://www.plaats.nl/engwierum/fotos/10820/mounebuorren-27/

Just takes a million years to load, so you can go and make yourself coffee first:).

Leo

ps I am beginning to enjoy all this.

Boy - that page did take awhile to load - it was worth it though!

When I was working on the Friesland pages (a project I will get back to some day) - I remember seeing various words for types: dorp, terpdorp, buurtschap, hoofdplaat, stad...

I fumbled with what to put in those type fields, the English version or the Dutch version. For gemeente, I did use Dutch, because it was a term that I saw a lot and I thought others not native to the Netherlands should know it. As for the others I used Village for dorp and terpdorp, and Hamlet for buurtschap, and City for stad. However, I was not 100% sure that was the best way. One problem with it is this - if you take a look at the Place:Oostdongeradeel, Friesland, Netherlands page, you'll see where Engwierum is listed underneath terpdorp. However, most of the others are listed under Inhabited Place. This is because whenever a type field is village or town (and I forget the others), Dallan has them grouped under a catch-all term of Inhabited Places. I'm not really fond of this. Also, even though you can put two terms in that field (i.e. both stad and city), I don't recommend it because then the town gets listed twice (though this does, occasionally have its uses).

I know that I'm probably making this more complicated than it needs to be (didn't I do that with gemeente too??). You suggestions would be valued, as until now it's been just a "USA lady" making the decisions :>)

p.s. I'm glad you're having lol (that's my new Dutch word right - fun;that's correct).--Jennifer (JBS66) 06:38, 13 March 2009 (EDT)

I think the USA lady does a great job! I don't very much fancy the Inhabited either, but you need at least something.[We say: het beestje moet een naam hebben: the animal needs to have a name:)] But I find it somewhat too general, it can be anything from an oasis in the Sahara to Beijing. And at first it made me think of excavation sites from archeology:).

We are faced with a problem that always occurs in history: we transpose things from one society or period to another, not always knowing exactly what they are, but we do need comparison so as to understand. What is a town over here and what is it on your side; what is it today and what in the year 1500, etc. The semantics of languages comes round as well. I have more or less the same thing with professions; trying to do things bilingually I had to figure out whether a Dutch advocate of law is a sollicitor or a barrister; that's English law; we haven't got the difference. I am still giving some thought on the matters of fiefdoms and heerlijkheden as well (Cool); poses similar questions. History is a complicated faculty....

Perhaps it would make sense to have Village as a general entrance and then between brackets what it is in the original language. The one for the general audience, so to speak and the other for those who want to know the precise detail. Village (terpdorp, lintdorp, streekdorp and whatever). And if there is no choice, because translation is impossible, then go for the original term and have some descriptive remark.

Will we get a PHD for all this, you think?

vriendelijke groeten, Leo