Mother tongues: English, Danish Joined: February 12, 2005 Location: Denmark
Crowns are for royal heads...
For a Saturday morning smile:
The Danish monetary unit is called a 'krone'.
The word 'krone' *is also used for the bejewelled headwear sometimes worn by royals. However, the two words cannot be used interchangeably as:
" Shoplifters snatch billions
By The Copenhagen Post
Every year, billions of crowns worth of goods disappear from store shelves. Shaving equipment rates high among the loot Shoplifters steal goods worth between DKK 2.3 billion and 3.7 billion every year, supermarkets say. Razor blades and other shaving equipment rate high on thieves' wish lists, daily newspaper Nordjyske Stiftstidende reported on Tuesday..."
Mother tongue: Russian Joined: May 10, 2003 Location: Russian Federation
This is strange....
... 'cause I've always thought, that the word "crown" means both the headwear AND the monetary units in some countries (i.e. Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Czechia, Slovakia, Sweden - there may be more, I just can't remember now).
Originally written by Nanna Mercer on August 6, 2005 1:29 PM
The word 'krone' *is also used for the bejewelled headwear sometimes worn by royals. However, the two words cannot be used interchangeably as:
" Shoplifters snatch billions
By The Copenhagen Post
Every year, billions of crowns worth of goods disappear from store shelves.
Well, the sentence above doesn't strike me as weird or anything - in this context the crowns are clearly understandable as monetary units, not headwear.
Talking about crowns as monetary units (koruna, krona, krone) - I've always thought that the name originated from the crown (headwear) minted on the reverse side of the coin. A crown is a crown... Just remember this excellent Swedish team "Tre Kronor" (they had these three crowns on their outfit - and please correct me if the spelling is wrong). Also, here, in Russia, we still have a word "Krona", which is commonly understood as a battery (with a small crown on it), made in Czech Republic
So why are these words not interchangeable? Or am I missing something?
Expert Mother tongue: French Posts: 6076 Joined: December 31, 2003 Location: France
RE: Crowns are for royal heads...
Originally written by Nanna Mercer on August 6, 2005 11:29 AM
For a Saturday morning smile:
The Danish monetary unit is called a 'krone'.
The word 'krone' *is also used for the bejewelled headwear sometimes worn by royals.
[...]
*When worn on the head, the word is translated as crown
Nanna,
My Random House Dictionary gives as one meaning for "crown": "the monetary unit of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden; a krona or krone".
Therefore "crowns" might still be a correct translation per se, although "Danish crowns" or DKK would obviously be clearer.
In French, we also use the word "couronne" both for the royal headwear and the Scandinavian currency. But we will specify "couronnes danoises" unless the context is obvious...
Mother tongues: English, Danish Joined: February 12, 2005 Location: Denmark
RE: Crowns are for royal heads...
Originally written by Laurent Chiacchierini on August 6, 2005 8:05 AM
Originally written by Nanna Mercer on August 6, 2005 11:29 AM
For a Saturday morning smile:
The Danish monetary unit is called a 'krone'.
The word 'krone' *is also used for the bejewelled headwear sometimes worn by royals.
[...]
*When worn on the head, the word is translated as crown
Nanna,
My Random House Dictionary gives as one meaning for "crown": "the monetary unit of Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden; a krona or krone".
Therefore "crowns" might still be a correct translation per se, although "Danish crowns" or DKK would obviously be clearer.
In French, we also use the word "couronne" both for the royal headwear and the Scandinavian currency. But we will specify "couronnes danoises" unless the context is obvious...
Laurent (literally: "crowned with laurels" )
Dear Royal One,
According to ISO valuta codes, a Danish 'krone' is a krone is a krone, and cannot be translated into crown.
My DA/EN economic/technical dictionary. p. 222 state that:
"...increase in the value of the Danish krone..." or "...the London rate for Danish kroner..."
In any case, I would never translate the Danish monetary unit into crown or crowns.
Mother tongues: English, Danish Joined: February 12, 2005 Location: Denmark
RE: This is strange....
Originally written by Vladimir Lyukaykin on August 6, 2005 8:01 AM
Originally written by Nanna Mercer on August 6, 2005 1:29 PM
The word 'krone' *is also used for the bejewelled headwear sometimes worn by royals. However, the two words cannot be used interchangeably as:
" Shoplifters snatch billions
By The Copenhagen Post
Every year, billions of crowns worth of goods disappear from store shelves.
...Well, the sentence above doesn't strike me as weird or anything - in this context the crowns are clearly understandable as monetary units, not headwear.
So why are these words not interchangeable? Or am I missing something?
Hi Vladimir,
I agree with you that the context makes it clear that it's the Danish monetary unit that's under discussion.
Please see my post to Laurent.
It's one of those strange things that are difficult (at least I find it difficult) to explain.
I once tried, unsuccessfully, to explain why this Danish sentence:
Danskerne rynker på næsen...Literally>The Danes are wrinkling the/their NOSE>singular.
must be translated as: The Danes are wrinkling their NOSES>plural.
Perhaps someone more well-versed in the minutiae of language and translation can provide a more coherent explanation for why the Danish monetary unit 'krone' cannot be translated as crown.
Expert Mother tongue: French Posts: 6076 Joined: December 31, 2003 Location: France
RE: Crowns are for royal heads...
Originally written by Nanna Mercer on August 6, 2005 2:31 PM
Dear Royal One,
According to ISO valuta codes, a Danish 'krone' is a krone is a krone, and cannot be translated into crown.
Dear Royal Subject
ISO specifications are one thing; everyday usage is another.
Official documents (from banks, etc.) will use DKK.
The (wo)man in the street will still continue to say "crown", "couronne", etc. if (s)he is English-speaking, French-speaking, etc. just because this is a long-standing currency, far more ancient than ISO codes...
The names of "old" currencies (e.g. pound, lira, etc.) are commonly translated into English, French, etc. just like the names of old cities, historic figures, etc.
In another field, for example, the French still call the Chinese (PRC) capital "Pékin", although the official spelling (pronunciation?) has been changed to Beijing for quite a while.
Again, it's a matter of usage, not easily changed by standards set by bureaucrats.
Mother tongues: English, Danish Joined: February 12, 2005 Location: Denmark
RE: Crowns are for royal heads...
Originally written by Laurent Chiacchierini on August 6, 2005 8:58 AM
Originally written by Nanna Mercer on August 6, 2005 2:31 PM
Dear Royal One,
According to ISO valuta codes, a Danish 'krone' is a krone is a krone, and cannot be translated into crown.
Dear Royal Subject
ISO specifications are one thing; everyday usage is another.
Official documents (from banks, etc.) will use DKK.
The (wo)man in the street will still continue to say "crown", "couronne", etc. if (s)he is English-speaking, French-speaking, etc. just because this is a long-standing currency, far more ancient than ISO codes...
The names of "old" currencies (e.g. pound, lira, etc.) are commonly translated into English, French, etc. just like the names of old cities, historic figures, etc.
In another field, for example, the French still call the Chinese (PRC) capital "Pékin", although the official spelling (pronunciation?) has been changed to Beijing for quite a while.
Again, it's a matter of usage, not easily changed by standards set by bureaucrats.
Laurent, (curtsying)
While common usage is one thing, translation for a newspaper ought to be another.
While unhappily unable to clearly defend my stance, I maintain that crown for DKK is incorrect.
The Danish krone is the currency used in Denmark and the Danish dependency of Greenland. On the Faroe Islands Danish coins are used as well but the islands use bank notes with unique Faroese motifs (see: Faroese króna. Although a common misunderstanding, the Faroese króna is legally speaking not an independent currency.) The plural form is "kroner" and one krone is divided into 100 øre, singular and plural. The ISO 4217 code is DKK.
The krone was introduced as legal tender in Denmark in 1873, and was a result of the....
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