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PRONUNCIATION OF TERMS
Just a quick note on pronunciation when it comes to armor and other terminology
used when discussing knights and chivalry. Most of the words we use to describe
the various pieces of armor are actually English words, despite their French appearance.
In many cases, this is probably due to the origins of the words being English
bastardizations of French, but nevertheless, these words are English and should
be pronounced as such.
Examples include "Coif", which is pronounced "koif", not "kwaf". If you
check the dictionary, you'll see that it is pronounced as "kwaf" when referring to women's
hair, but not in reference to armor.
This also extends to other types of mail armor. Hauberk is pronounced "HAW-berk", and haubergeon
is pronounced as "HAW-ber-jun".
The words Gorget, Sallet, Bascinet, Armet, Langet, and Tasset are pronounced with a hard "T",
just like Helmet, Circlet, or Tablet. They're English words, and so the "T" is pronounced. This
also applies to Trebuchet (treb-yoo-shet in English, vs tray-boo-shay in French, of which both are correct).
The hard-T pronunciations are what is generally accepted by Historians and Museum Curators.
With regards to armor, when in doubt, pronounce it the way it looks from an English perspective.
Consider these dictionary-entry pronunciations:
Battles and events are often named after the places in which they ocurred, and this
can be throughout Europe and thus influenced by many different languages. A prime
example of this is the battle of Wisby. Though frequently spelled with a "W", it is
pronounced "Visby", and you will often see it spelled this way as well.
-- Sir Edward |
