Re: lexicon

Quoting John Cowan <jcowan@...>:

> Andreas Johansson scripsit:
>
> > _gravun_, which does not appear to have a good English counterpart -
> it means
> > a state consisting of a number of conquered regions ruled from a
> central core.
>
> That sounds more like "empire" to me.  An empire need not be
> monarchical:
> the Delian League was an Athenian empire, though Athens had no kings.
> Then there is the American empire....
While certain Americans would probably claim to be oppressed by Washington,
today's USA certainly isn't a _gravun_.

What it all boils down to is that English "empire" has range of differing
meanings, and there is no single Tairezazh word that cover them all without
also covering alot of things that certainly aren't empires in any sense.

> > *By which I mean a state run by the military. I dunno if this word is
> to be
> > found in any English lexicon.
>
> "Military dictatorship" would be normal.  Of course, in aristocracies,
> the
> feudal rulers are generally so because they are military leaders also.
As long as the "dictatorship" isn't assumed to necessarily imply a single all-
powerful dictator at the top of the heap, I guess this is the best translation.

                                                             Andreas

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