Afridi Dagger ?

fearn · 21st October 2009, 02:04 AM

Good points Ariel.

It's fascinating that the sword/saber/knife/dagger/etc continuum of weapons seems so prone to this kind of linguistic weirdness. It shows up in other weapons (notably halberds), but outside of weapon terms, the best example I know of is the shrub vs. tree pair.

I suspect that swords, knives, and daggers get into this because there are issues of violence, power, and utility all coming into play. A knife is a fundamental tool, but a military knife is also a symbol of power and maybe that's why they get different names? Just a guess.

Best,

F

21st October 2009, 02:04 AM	#13
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Good points Ariel. It's fascinating that the sword/saber/knife/dagger/etc continuum of weapons seems so prone to this kind of linguistic weirdness. It shows up in other weapons (notably halberds), but outside of weapon terms, the best example I know of is the shrub vs. tree pair. I suspect that swords, knives, and daggers get into this because there are issues of violence, power, and utility all coming into play. A knife is a fundamental tool, but a military knife is also a symbol of power and maybe that's why they get different names? Just a guess. Best, F