Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

Bard Judith

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Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« on: 20 July 2007, 01:48:34 »

(to be categorized with Muscles and Body Parts, under Medicine, I guess!)
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Throughout the Kingdom of Santharia one may hear many different dialects, local expressions, interesting proverbs and songs, and, of course, specific folk words for certain things. One of the more interesting 'tells' to judge one's location within the Kingdom would be to simply ask a child or granny what they call the various fingers on their hands.

Those useful digits we know as 'Thumb, Forefinger, Middle, Ring, and Pink', have their own particular names everywhere, and in some places their own songs or riddles. Surely many of us heard our mother or grandam chant this or a similar rhyme when we were small:

"I have five sturdy serving men -
They do their duty well,
On either hand
They curl or stand
And here their names I'll spell..."

Of course, here the ditty will deviate considerably, depending upon where the singer was raised, and one may reliably guess the province, if not the very town, of birthplace, if one has the knowledge we have gathered for you here below. Not all tribes are represented, as our wandering bards may not have yet reported in with their findings, and there is, as always with any attempt of the Compendiums to map linguistic areas, much overlap, variation, and blending. Be that as it may – enjoy the variety here given, and the next time you count your change out on your fingers at the marketplace, see if some of the picturesque names do not run through your head!

Glandorian: Thumb, Fore, Mid, Ring, Pipkin

Darian: Thumble, Pointer, Middy, Heartfinger, Pinkie

Shan’Thai: Dumth, Tosher (Toucher), Midfin’er, Leche, Babe

Averish: Grabbler, Tousher, Middie, Ringie, Pinky

Sophronian / Erph: Hiltfinger / Thumb, Bowyer, Proudman, Ring, Page

Caltharian: Hame, Stirrer, Longman, Rover, Dingle

Eyelian: Modern or 'city' Eyelians have been known to use Leader, Merchant, Fighter, Farmer, Salter - however, everyone from granther to toddler knows the old names, as in this rhyme below. Note that they begin with the first finger and end with the thumb 'finishing the set'.

Little Eyelians count on pack numbers five
The first being Alpa, like a wolf in disguise
Onto Ursa, Mighty and Tall
And Grota the third as the heart of it all
Little Eaglet is the smallest finger yet
And short, sturdy, Jay finishes the set.

Sophronian: Thoom, Pointer, Langley, Nextle, Lastle

Stratanian: Tomm, Bes, Saylo, Hart, Pip

Central Santharia / New Santhala: Thumb, Forefinger, Midfinger, Ringfinger, Pink

The Kuglimz, literal-minded northerners that they are, call them simply:

Vir'ng--Thumb (lit. "finger one")
Nuk'ng--Second finger (lit. "finger two")
Mur'ng--Third finger (lit "finger three")
Nek'ng--Fourth finger (lit. "finger four")
Teig'ng--Fifth finger (lit. "finger five")

However, they do also have nicknames, as seen in the delightful little rhyme below, which Kuglimz mothers teach their babies:

Vir, la’la’ng One [is] mama thumb
Nuk, v’lyr’ng Two [is] oldest son
Mur, den sah’ng, Three [is] tall daddy
Nek, mara wyn’ng Four [is] golden girl (“mara’wyn” is the Kuglimz term for a daughter who is her daddy’s “princess”)
Cone, cym'ng (Last [is] little one!


« Last Edit: 14 June 2008, 19:57:39 by Artimidor Federkiel »	Logged

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Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin

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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #1 on: 20 July 2007, 03:31:16 »

You make me giggle, Bard. The way you can take something as mundane as the fingers on your hand and make it magical. I swear, you have the heart and soul of this world inside you. Very nice work. grin


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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #2 on: 20 July 2007, 03:48:56 »

Pinky for the little finger? (never heard this before and it sounds terrible in my ears - why pinky?)

In German it is just "little (or small) finger", don't know if there are special expressions in some dialects.

A nice collection though, Judy!

Stratanian, Darian and maybe Averish (Glandorian +Darian)should have some more "sounds" in common, for they are all somehow related.
Stratanian derived from Darian=Shendar + some Epheronian influence in the south.

In Shan'Thai their society could show - they do have a kind of slavery!


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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #3 on: 20 July 2007, 03:57:14 »

Well, whatever the reason, but "pinkie/pinky" seems to be the commonly used English expression for the small finger (see Leo).


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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #4 on: 20 July 2007, 05:05:26 »

Wow!!!...Once you get an idea in your head you cant stop writing amazing stuff, can you?

So you are a talented musician, Amazing Artist, Excuisite Writer, English teacher and a parent...where do you find the time? grin

Oh...you couldnt perhaps do the names of the fingers in styrash could you? heart


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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #5 on: 20 July 2007, 05:32:17 »

Why does everything have to be in Styrash all the time?

Why not the Dwarven tounge or the Kuglimz language?


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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #6 on: 20 July 2007, 09:58:05 »

Face it Decipher...Elves are SO much cooler than Dwarves!!! fish


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Bard Judith

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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #7 on: 20 July 2007, 10:14:22 »

Petros.... beware the wrath of the Dwarvenmistress...

We Thergerim don't just whack people with soggy little fish - we use our smithy hammers hammer

And you really should read through some of the Dwarven entries before making such grandiose claims. Caelerethian dwarves live in active volcanoes - swear impressive oaths - wear lavish embroidery - brew amazing drinks - concoct 'bread' out of mushrooms - get married in the altogether - raise their children communally - handwrite their sacred scriptures from start to finish as an act of worship - and much, much more. DWARVES ARE COOL!

Talia - while I agree that 'pinkie / pinky' is a rather silly word, it IS the English standard. I don't know the etymology, but it should be included in at least one list of the digit names. It doesn't have to be the standard ('Received Pronunciation'

) expression in Santharia, though... how about 'pipkin', bearing with it the sense of 'small' or 'littlest one'?

For the Darian and Averish, I used what we have extant about the dialectal forms, as seen in the tribe entries - they may not reflect the historical patterns of language dispersal but then again we don't have an overarching compilation of such! Which is why some of the tribes aren't listed at all, as you may notice - we know so little about them that I didn't dare begin defining their speech patterns. Really, we should get a few basic outlines down for the missing ones - it goes hand in hand with nomenclature (people AND places!)

If you have some more 'authentic' suggestions for the Stratans, please do give some ideas here. I thought they might, as portspeople and travellers/sailors, have been influenced by a variety of cultures and tried to reflect that in the more 'exotic' names - but I can also use that list for another tribe instead.

Everyone, thanks for the feedback! (blows kiss to Altario)


« Last Edit: 20 July 2007, 15:04:50 by Artimidor Federkiel »	Logged

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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #8 on: 20 July 2007, 10:59:29 »

Calm the beans hen!! peace

, no need to take out that hammer besides ive got a fish and im not afraid to use it!! grin

i never said dwarves werent cool...its just that their not AS cool as elves.

Sorry to invoke your wrath Dwarven Mistress hug

(i love these wee smileys heart

)


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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #9 on: 21 July 2007, 02:47:06 »

I still prefer dwarves to elves...Elves are too common...We have unique Dwarven culture (not that Elven culture isnt original too!)


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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #10 on: 21 July 2007, 02:55:02 »

Well, cant we just say that there both cool in their own way. Dwarves have their volcanoes and axes and Elves have their forests and bows.


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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #11 on: 21 July 2007, 04:07:06 »

And we shoudl probably add the Krean, Shar, and "Vikh names as well, if we're making a complete guide Decipher..


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Ta`lia of the Seven Jewels

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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #12 on: 21 July 2007, 12:08:31 »

@ Judy: Pipkin sounds nice!

Traditions can change, so we really can have totally different names - but I'm bad with inventing some. Maybe there is just one traditions kept (reason!) that one finger has the same name and the others have different ones? (No idea yet)

Edit: Thought about taking the Ringfinger, but Heartfinger is so nice! I would not want to miss it. Thought about an miniscule submission about the names ring-finger/heartfinger and the differences between Darian and Glandorian

Not now!


« Last Edit: 21 July 2007, 12:12:09 by Talia Sturmwind »	Logged

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Re: Putting One's Finger On It: Names for the Bodily Digits in Santharia

« Reply #13 on: 08 August 2007, 08:12:50 »

Masterbard, this is so much more colorful than the convention of simply numbering digits: First digit/thumb, second digit/index finger... This is a delight to read! By the way, are fingernails still referred to as such in Santharia? And knuckles and wrists, too? Please could we keep these names, as I've committed to adding Santharthritis to the DoD (Discourse on Diseases)?

This is wonderfully illustrative, Judith! Thank you for putting delightful labels on what had previously been mundane appendages!