Major Tom
ihcoyc said:The problem is, there really isn't an elegant English equivalent for bâtons, which covers a great deal of sematic space in English: stick, pole, rod, club. cudgel, bat, staff.
"Baton" is a perfect acceptable English equivalent isn't it?
ihcoyc said:A similar problem exists with deniers; "coins" is barely adequate. A denier was originally a denarius, a Roman penny. The form of the word best nativized in English is "dinar." A "penny" might be a better translation --- better yet if you can envision a large old English penny before the Vile Scourge of Decimalism swept them away.
I kind of like the idea of calling the suite Dinars. But I can't see it ever becomming popular. I think we're probably stuck with Coins.
ihcoyc said:"Wands" and especially "pentacles" rub some the wrong way, I think, mostly because they smack of magickal obfuscation, lend a false grandeur to the humble objects that are the suit tokens, and assume a whole system that ain't necessarily so.
I can see the reasons for objecting to 'wands' and pentacles' but nonetheless we are in need of English translations. I prefer to use batons and coins.
Then, of course, we have the problem with epees... An epee is a sword of course, but a specific type of sword used in fencing competitions to this day. In fencing with epees, you only score with the tip of the blade, the same is true of the foil, only the sabre scores with the sharp edges of the blade. Here's a link with a diagram: http://www.saxonfc.fsnet.co.uk/epee.htm
The interesting part is that the sword pictured on the Ace and courts in most Marseille decks is actually a sabre. The circular blades depicted on the pips recall the scimatar. So maybe 'swords' isn't too bad a translation after all.