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What Are Spomeniks?

spomenikdatabase.org

1–10 of 60 posts

Re: What Are Spomeniks?

#3
Oh wow. Currently in Bosnia & Hercegovina, did not expect to see this on the front page of HN. There are so many here. They are impressive to see in person. The one in Sarajevo is a monument to WWII soldiers: https://www.spomenikdatabase.org/sarajevo

Also, Stećak, the medieval version: https://bazerdzan.ba/blogs/blog/stecak-the-true-bosnian-trea...

Re: What Are Spomeniks?

#5
post #2

Is there not a perfectly fine English translation, "Memorial"?

No.

The locally-used name here, "Spomeniks", more precisely groups and identifies these structures than the foreign word "Memorial" would. Calling them by another name would make it difficult to communicate usefully about them, while simultaneously stripping away a piece of their cultural heritage: their native-language name.

Additionally, as the article notes, Spomenik translates to Monument in english, not Memorial. They may be both "Spomeniks" and "Monuments", but the more precise name "Spomeniks" uniquely refers to them, while the less precise name "Monuments" refers to millions of other objects not associated with this Yugoslavian cultural effort as well. Prior argument applies.

For example, we call "Stonehenge" and "Moai" by their locally-used names. They may also be "Monuments", but they have more precise names available, which are widely used.

Re: What Are Spomeniks?

#8
post #2

Is there not a perfectly fine English translation, "Memorial"?

No. The locally-used name here, "Spomeniks", more precisely groups and identifies these structures than the foreign word "Memorial" would. Calling them by another name would make it difficult to communicate usefully about them, while simultaneously stripping away a piece of their cultural heritage: their native-language name. Additionally, as the article notes, Spomenik translates to Monument in english, not Memorial…

In England, we call Stonehenge a monument:

https://heritagecalling.com/2016/10/10/im-sorry-but-what-is-...

Re: What Are Spomeniks?

#9
post #2

Is there not a perfectly fine English translation, "Memorial"?

No. The locally-used name here, "Spomeniks", more precisely groups and identifies these structures than the foreign word "Memorial" would. Calling them by another name would make it difficult to communicate usefully about them, while simultaneously stripping away a piece of their cultural heritage: their native-language name. Additionally, as the article notes, Spomenik translates to Monument in english, not Memorial…

"Spomenik" is literally the word for "monument", right? Here's an article from 1849 mentioning building a Napoleonic monument, calling it a spomenik:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rz8_AQAAMAAJ&dq=%22spome...

If you mentioned to another former Yugoslavian that you had drawn a picture of a spomenik, would it be implicitly clear that you meant one of these postwar memorials, or could they reasonably assume you meant, say, the statue of Bruce Lee in Mostar?

Re: What Are Spomeniks?

#10
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. The locally-used name here, "Spomeniks", more precisely groups and identifies these structures than the foreign word "Memorial" would. Calling them by another name would make it difficult to communicate usefully about them, while simultaneously stripping away a piece of their cultural heritage: their native-language name. Additionally, as the article notes, Spomenik translates to Monument in english, not Memorial…

"Spomenik" is literally the word for "monument", right? Here's an article from 1849 mentioning building a Napoleonic monument, calling it a spomenik: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rz8_AQAAMAAJ&dq=%22spome... If you mentioned to another former Yugoslavian that you had drawn a picture of a spomenik, would it be implicitly clear that you meant one of these postwar memorials, or could they reasonably assume you mea…

That's a neat statue, but I'm not qualified to answer otherwise, sorry.
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