Tatar and Tartar

[SabirzyanB]

Very often people are confused about the the meanings of these two words. In
writing, they are often used interchangeably. But there is a big difference
between Tatar and Tartar.

Tartar (with an "r") is just another word for "plaque". It also means "a member
of an Asiatic tribe (aka Mongols), which in the 13th and 14th centuries under
the leadership of Genghis Khan overrun large areas of Europe and Asia and
created their own empire." The figurative meaning of this word is "a ferocious
or violent-tempered person."

Tatar (without "r") means a member of the Tatar nation whose native land is
Tatarstan, an autonomous republic within Russia. The same word is used to
describe a native resident of Crimea, where Crimean Tatars used to make up the
majority of the population. There are no ethnic, linguistic, religious or
anthropological links between the Tatars and Tartars: The former belong to the
white race, profess Islam and speak a Turkic language. The descendants of the
latter belong to the Oriental race, profess Buddhism and speak a Mongolian
language. The descendants of the Tartars live in modern Mongolia, whereas the
modern Tatars live in Tatarstan (and the Tatar diaspora) and in Crimea.

[the jungle kitty]

SabirzyanB wrote:

The adding or dropping of "r" depends on the speaker's dialect. I love
the anecdote that all they all migrate South from Boston. Thanks for
the bit of Asian history. But what about tartar sauce? Is that the
victim of a Mongol's wrath? ;)

On a personal note, I grew up asking for orange "sherbert" at Dairy
Queen. After 10 years of French, I began to pronounce it "sherbet" and
now the girl at the counter gives me an odd look. And they're not "soda
jerks" anymore, they're "vendors."

[Robert Lieblich]

the jungle kitty wrote:

<snip>

> On a personal note, I grew up asking for orange "sherbert" at Dairy
> Queen. After 10 years of French, I began to pronounce it "sherbet" and
> now the girl at the counter gives me an odd look. And they're not "soda
> jerks" anymore, they're "vendors."

Oh, no, Ms. Kitty, they're "sales associates." At a minimum.

Everyone in the service department of the dealership where our car is
repaired is either a mechanic or an "Associate Service Manager." Does
each of them boss all the others, perhaps in rotation?

Bob Lieblich