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Boy

Danish translation: Boy/knægt

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:Boy
Danish translation:Boy/knægt
Entered by: Dan Schioenning Larsen

23:59 Mar 1, 2005
English to Danish translations [PRO]
Other / subtitles
English term or phrase: Boy
Nedsættende ord om en afrikaner, der arbejder som slave i USA.

Eks.: "Boy! I'm speaking to you!"

Jeg tekster en film, der foregår i 1864.

Hvad bruges egentlig på dansk? Jeg er pludselig helt blank og kan ikke huske, hvad jeg har set brugt før.
Dan Schioenning Larsen
Denmark
Local time: 04:51
Boy/knægt
Explanation:
Selv dengang brugte man det engelske ord, men ellers er det gamle danske ord "knægt", f.eks. som i "støvleknægt".
Selected response from:

Bente Sorensen
Local time: 10:51
Grading comment
Tak for hjælpen. Jeg bruger det engelske ord.

"Sambo" og "neger", som er Blangsteds forslag, er nok nærmere en omtaleform end en tiltaleform.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1Boy/knægt
Bente Sorensen
4boy
Sven Petersson
2 -1sambo (sorte sambo)//neger
Suzanne Blangsted (X)


  

Answers


1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
boy
Boy/knægt


Explanation:
Selv dengang brugte man det engelske ord, men ellers er det gamle danske ord "knægt", f.eks. som i "støvleknægt".

Bente Sorensen
Local time: 10:51
Native speaker of: Danish
PRO pts in category: 24
Grading comment
Tak for hjælpen. Jeg bruger det engelske ord.

"Sambo" og "neger", som er Blangsteds forslag, er nok nærmere en omtaleform end en tiltaleform.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Sven Petersson: I fully support your suggestion "boy", but fail to understand why you suggest "knægt". Could you please explain? - Thanks for explanation! The KudoZ should be yours!
5 hrs
  -> The noun is "knægt", the verb is "knægte", meaning to subdue, bring to heel. "Knægt" was often used about a male servant. But- as indicated, in this case I would have chosen "boy" myself.
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): -1
boy
sambo (sorte sambo)//neger


Explanation:
Sambo er det eneste ord jeg husker fra den gang jeg boede i Danmark. Det kan vel ikke bruges nu - danskerne bruger nu ordet sambo for dem der lever sammen.

Suzanne Blangsted (X)
Local time: 19:51
Native speaker of: Native in DanishDanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 115

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Sven Petersson: A "sambo" is not a Negro, but a crossbreed (3/4 Negro and 1/4 Caucasian). Are you really sure that "sambo" and/or "neger" was ever used to address a person? - Please see http://zambo.exsudo.dk/
5 hrs
  -> yes I am. I clearly remember a book named "sorte Sambo" der var om en neger.
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
boy
boy


Explanation:
Slavery was abolished in Denmark in 1803. Any word that may have been used to address a slave in Denmark before the abolition may be assumed to have faded out of use by 1864. Slavery was however still practiced in the Danish West Indies, up to July 3rd 1848, and the common word used for addressing a male black slave there was “boy”. I would think the word survived 16 years and suggest it is used in the translation.

Sven Petersson
Sweden
Local time: 04:51
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 30

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Terence Ajbro: one could re-write the sentence and say "du der, det er dig jeg taler til". The "du" form in itself should convey a condescending attitude. Not all Danes would catch the various undertones in the word "boy".
53 mins
  -> The master/slave relationship communicated in the word "boy" would be lost. Better to let most Danes "catch the undertones" than none, which would be the result if one used "du der".
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