(There has been a thread on farmers, initiated by me - or my former self - but now I'd like to focus on the distinction between farmer and peasant, which was only treated alongside in the other)
I believe (a) the Latin word agricola in English could be translated as both farmer (a rich farmer, I believe) and peasant. It can also be (b) used it as a verb (to farm). Can you? Last question: there is (b) only "farm" for the place, I think. What is your word for 'farm'?
But I am not so sure that speakers of English would associate peasant with agricola. At least the connotation of the word is pejorative, whereas farmer is neutral, I suppose.
I think the French words do not have the same connotation: fermier versus paysan (though the latter may sound pejorative, I suppose). There is no 'rich' connotation with 'fermier', I suppose. Farm is of course ferme in French
In Dutch we have (a) one word, boer, and an old word hereboer (lord-farmer), now outdated, a very rich farmer. The common word boer though has (had) a pejorative ring. nowadays we often use landbouwer (a literal translation of Agricola/ agriculteur). And we can boeren, farm. The verb has even become a common word for doing (good) business. But they all live and work (c) at a boerderij [lit. farmery].
I believe (a) the Latin word agricola in English could be translated as both farmer (a rich farmer, I believe) and peasant. It can also be (b) used it as a verb (to farm). Can you? Last question: there is (b) only "farm" for the place, I think. What is your word for 'farm'?
But I am not so sure that speakers of English would associate peasant with agricola. At least the connotation of the word is pejorative, whereas farmer is neutral, I suppose.
I think the French words do not have the same connotation: fermier versus paysan (though the latter may sound pejorative, I suppose). There is no 'rich' connotation with 'fermier', I suppose. Farm is of course ferme in French
In Dutch we have (a) one word, boer, and an old word hereboer (lord-farmer), now outdated, a very rich farmer. The common word boer though has (had) a pejorative ring. nowadays we often use landbouwer (a literal translation of Agricola/ agriculteur). And we can boeren, farm. The verb has even become a common word for doing (good) business. But they all live and work (c) at a boerderij [lit. farmery].
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