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Urat
Mar 30, 2011 18:28
13 yrs ago
Catalan term

Comellar de Sa Terra des Gerrers (see context)

Catalan to English Art/Literary History Ancient settlements, Mallorca
I know this might seem like a stupid question since this is a place name, but as you'll see from the context below, I may need to gloss this. I don't speak Catalan, and while I can hazard guesses at this, I'd really appreciate some native input before I make a mistake.

I believe "comellar" may mean "hill" and "terra" I assume is "tierra", but as for gerrers...

Context:
El topónimo actual del lugar, Es Comellar de Sa Terra des Gerrers, directamente relacionado con la producción de vasijas que no se exponían al fuego, sugiere que esta materia prima fue explotada también en épocas históricas por alfares ya desaparecidos y tal vez ubicados en el núcleo de Calvià.

UK Eng.
Thanks in advance.
Proposed translations (English)
5 +1 potter [specialising in jugs and pitchers]
References
Search Results Gerrer - Viquipèdia - [...

Discussion

Kate Major Patience (asker) Mar 30, 2011:
Catalan and I are on shaky terms at the best of times, unless we're talking about food! There we go - I see exactly what you mean. Very nice link. Thanks again Alistair!
Alistair Ian Spearing Ortiz Mar 30, 2011:
Re: Comellar Kate, the word "Comellar" is quite the opposite of a hill. It's an area of depressed terrain surrounded by higher terrain. In English it's known as a "shakehole".

http://cit.iec.cat/dgeol/default.asp?opcio=11&cerca=comellar

Good luck with the rest of the translation.

Proposed translations

+1
22 mins
Selected

potter [specialising in jugs and pitchers]

As Liz points out in the reference section, the closest English approximation to the word "gerrer" would be "potter". However, you should keep in mind that "gerrers" were potters who specialised in jugs and pitchers and very rarely made other ceramic objects.

The exact Catalan word for "potter" is "terrisaire". "Gerrer" is a hyponym of "terrissaire". I don't think English has a specific word for this, so I suggest translating it as "potter" and possibly adding a short explanation, such as "potter specialising in jugs and pitchers".

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Note added at 24 mins (2011-03-30 18:53:01 GMT)
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If you are willing to give a looong explanation, you can say "potter specialising in jugs, pitchers and jars".
Peer comment(s):
agree iolanda casacuberta : Very thorough!
33 mins
Thanks, I do my best!
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks Alistair. Great help allowing me to write a nice little gloss for the place name. Cheers! :)"

Reference comments

14 mins
Reference:

Search Results
Gerrer - Viquipèdia - [ Translate this page ]
El gerrer era un menestral que tenia l'ofici de fer gerres i gerros, especialment de terrissa. A mitjan segle XV, a Barcelona, hi havia nou gerrers. ...
ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerrer - Cached - Simila

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Note added at 14 mins (2011-03-30 18:42:59 GMT)
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potter?

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Note added at 16 mins (2011-03-30 18:45:11 GMT)
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gerres = jugs

so it seems

Ham, Cooking Spoon, Jug, Dishware | Download free photos
4 Feb 2011 ... Free Download photos of Ham, Cooking Spoon, Jug, Dishware. ... pernil, una cullera de cuina, gerres, plats | Descarregar fotografies gratuït ...
www.freepik.com/.../ham-cooking-spoon-jug-dishware_479686.h... - Cached

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Note added at 17 mins (2011-03-30 18:46:17 GMT)
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and

gerros

=

jars

gerros | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
26 Mar 2011 ... gerros. ... jarrón · reflejo · jar · vase · jarra · reflection · vidrio · cristal · crystal · dof · pov · pared · wall · stones · piedras ...
www.flickr.com/photos/xavitalleda/5571895852

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Note added at 20 mins (2011-03-30 18:48:37 GMT)
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http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:KlNeWO4...

amazing what you can find out googling...

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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-03-30 21:08:54 GMT)
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no worries,

I didn't mean anything as a criticism, "amazing what you can find googling.." was really just a comment, not just to you, but to myself....i.e. I knew nothing about your query or the answer until I started googling..

as in many other instances:)

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Note added at 14 hrs (2011-03-31 08:51:34 GMT)
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Don't worry:)
Note from asker:
Liz, regarding your last comment, I may be misunderstanding you, but I do use Google too! I didn't say that I thought "gerrer" was probably "jars" or "pots" because I wanted to check with a native speaker/someone more experienced with Catalan... Thanks for you help though.
Although looking at it, perhaps I'm just being paranoid since the forum's become so mean recently, and that's not what you meant... If so, I apologise!
Oh you know, I knew as soon as I posted it. I've been trolled a whole lot recently on here, and I'm not the only one but this is a lesson in not letting that breed paranoia! Thank you kindly for all your help - I totally understand what you mean and am sorry I misunderstood! One of those months. Thanks again Liz: I really appreciate your research and comments. :))
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