Re: Ferengi
| From: | Andrew Smith <hobbit@...> |
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| Date: | Friday, May 21, 1999, 3:19 |
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On Thu, 20 May 1999, John Cowan wrote:
> "Farang" (and variants) was created in the Middle East during the
> Crusades, and has been carried by Islam around the world clear to
> Thailand and probably beyond, usually with the sense "foreigner/
> European/trader". Its origin is, of course, "Frank",
> the word used in Arabic for all Western Europeans.
>
I think you can construct a continuum ranging from Frank/Farang in the
West to Palang on the Pacific rim.
> No one from the Star Trek organization has confirmed the origin
> of "Ferengi" from "farang" in the sense "trader", but it seems
> obvious.
>
On one of my concartographies is a country called Feringistan, the Land of
the Foreign Traders. The name apparantly did exist historically. I like
it better than Paramountese *Ferenganar.
One day I'll work out what sort of language Feringistani is...
- andrew.
Andrew Smith, Intheologus hobbit@earthlight.co.nz
"Orcs eat Hummers."
- Old Orc Saying.