A Lovely Indonesian Parang With An Amazing Pedang Lurus Style Hilt

Sajen · 29th August 2016, 11:36 AM

Beautiful pedang!

Battara · 29th August 2016, 08:36 PM

Alan, "parang" in Bahasa Indonesian, which is a cutting implement, may be related to the word "parang" in a sister language, Tagalog, which means "field".

The connection of cutting a field with a cutting implement. I find etymology fascinating.

A. G. Maisey · 30th August 2016, 12:23 AM

Maybe, but the same word "parang" has two entirely separate meanings in Javanese:-

a chopper, cleaver or knife

a cliff.

It is the name of a well known batik motif, where the motif supposedly represents a ruined cliff:- "parang rusak".

A lot of languages all across SE Asia have similarities, there is a good reference chart in Raffles that sets out in matrixical form words from various languages, you can read across the page and see the commonality. This same commonality can be found in Malay and in the Polynesian languages, as well as some words in common usage in the Aboriginal languages of Northern Australia.

In fact I have read that if you can understand Malay (ie, BI) you can more or less follow Maori.

The Northern Australian Aboriginals picked up the words from visiting fishermen from islands in the Archipelago, principally from Sulawesi, which in effect means Bugis, and there are acknowledged family links between people in Sulawesi and Aboriginal people in Northern Australia.

In Bahasa Indonesia we find a multitude of words that come from European languages, principally Portuguese, Dutch and English.

29th August 2016, 11:36 AM	#1
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,274	Beautiful pedang!

29th August 2016, 08:36 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,310	Alan, "parang" in Bahasa Indonesian, which is a cutting implement, may be related to the word "parang" in a sister language, Tagalog, which means "field". The connection of cutting a field with a cutting implement. I find etymology fascinating.

30th August 2016, 12:23 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	Maybe, but the same word "parang" has two entirely separate meanings in Javanese:- a chopper, cleaver or knife a cliff. It is the name of a well known batik motif, where the motif supposedly represents a ruined cliff:- "parang rusak". A lot of languages all across SE Asia have similarities, there is a good reference chart in Raffles that sets out in matrixical form words from various languages, you can read across the page and see the commonality. This same commonality can be found in Malay and in the Polynesian languages, as well as some words in common usage in the Aboriginal languages of Northern Australia. In fact I have read that if you can understand Malay (ie, BI) you can more or less follow Maori. The Northern Australian Aboriginals picked up the words from visiting fishermen from islands in the Archipelago, principally from Sulawesi, which in effect means Bugis, and there are acknowledged family links between people in Sulawesi and Aboriginal people in Northern Australia. In Bahasa Indonesia we find a multitude of words that come from European languages, principally Portuguese, Dutch and English.