Furniture terminology as a prism for cultural contact in Maritime Southeast Asia
This article provides a linguistic perspective on the history of furniture in Maritime Southeast Asia, while also drawing comparisons with the Southeast Asian mainland. It highlights the region’s connections with the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East, China, and Europe. Most furniture-related ter...
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| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/archipel, |
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| Autor Principal: | |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | Anglais |
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Archipel
2026
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| Acceso en liña: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Résumé: | This article provides a linguistic perspective on the history of furniture in Maritime Southeast Asia, while also drawing comparisons with the Southeast Asian mainland. It highlights the region’s connections with the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East, China, and Europe. Most furniture-related terminology is borrowed from these areas, with only a few terms tracing their origins to the Austronesian language family. The concept of “furniture” in precolonial Southeast Asia, however, is a complex one, often overlapping with tools, conveyances, and architectural elements. Lexical data, in fact, reveal insightful semantic shifts, such as from utensils to furniture or from furniture to transportation. Understanding these complexities in furniture terminology offers insights into the transregional linkages that shaped Southeast Asia’s material culture, while also shedding light on the cultural exchanges within the region. |
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