Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Marc James Small wrote: > > Earlier Leicas had "DRP" for "Deutsches Reiches Patent", the term used > from 1871 until 1949. (Reich is a hard word to translate: it is cognate > with English "reach" and means something along the lines of "territory" > or "zone of governmental control", though it is generally transated as > "Empire".) > The Swedish "rike" (pronounced "reak-eh") has the same root. "Rike" is closer to "realm", "state", or "nation" rather than territory per se. Variations of the word also deal with wealth or affluence. My feeling (based upon 28 years of speaking English and 27 of Swedish) is that it is probably closer to an English "national realm" more than anything else. I'm pretty sure that a "rike" (perhaps also a "reich") has roots in a monarchy. BTW -- I'm not correcting, just offering additional info. You're right: it's a tough word to translate. M. - -- Martin Howard | Visiting Scholar, CSEL, OSU | What boots up must come down. email: howard.390@osu.edu | www: http://mvhoward.i.am/ +---------------------------------------