"Millet(s)" as an "ethnotaxanomical" concept?
Tangential to our main concerns, but relevant to questions about "millet(s)" as a concept that hops across several sub-families of Gramineae, I've been musing on the notion of ethnotaxonomy. Ethnotaxonomy - which may be defined as "The naming system for plants and animals used by a particular ethnic group"/1 - is a term from anthropology. As such it may seem a bit unusual to apply to English language usage. However, I'm thinking a good case could be made for ethnotaxonomy as a framework to respond to questions about how to define millets. Ethnotaxonomy might also be useful in approaching issues of translation in the International Year of Millets that I've looked at elswhere./2 We know that "millets" include several cultivated species of Gramineae that have common names including the word "millet." The umbrella term "millets" may also be extended to some or all of several other Gramineae, notably sorghum, fonio, teff, and Job's tears. So the concept of "millet" seems to have become somewhat generic, and been applied to other species in common names, and then also to additional small grained cultivated Gramineae. All of which seems rather ethnotaxanomical. Anyway, will leave it there for the moment. DO Notes: - Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ethnotaxonomy - "Translation problems ahead of the International Year of Millets (IYOM2023)?" (blog post) https://donosborn.org/blog/2022/translation-problems-ahead-of-the-internatio...
This is such a great beginning, Ethnotaxonomy is a perfect starting point for the discussion. On Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 10:41 PM Don Osborn via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Tangential to our main concerns, but relevant to questions about "millet(s)" as a concept that hops across several sub-families of Gramineae, I've been musing on the notion of ethnotaxonomy.
Ethnotaxonomy - which may be defined as "The naming system for plants and animals used by a particular ethnic group"/1 - is a term from anthropology. As such it may seem a bit unusual to apply to English language usage. However, I'm thinking a good case could be made for ethnotaxonomy as a framework to respond to questions about how to define millets. Ethnotaxonomy might also be useful in approaching issues of translation in the International Year of Millets that I've looked at elswhere./2
We know that "millets" include several cultivated species of Gramineae that have common names including the word "millet." The umbrella term "millets" may also be extended to some or all of several other Gramineae, notably sorghum, fonio, teff, and Job's tears.
So the concept of "millet" seems to have become somewhat generic, and been applied to other species in common names, and then also to additional small grained cultivated Gramineae. All of which seems rather ethnotaxanomical.
Anyway, will leave it there for the moment.
DO
Notes:
1. Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ethnotaxonomy 2. "Translation problems ahead of the International Year of Millets (IYOM2023)?" (blog post) https://donosborn.org/blog/2022/translation-problems-ahead-of-the-internatio...
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Thanks, Joni. Here's a first draft aka "tentative" diagram for discussion of popular understanding of "millet" in the US. This is kind of an advance copy. However I won't change it much if at all before putting it in a short blog post hopefully tonight, which will include some explanation. All the best, Don PS- Yes I did misspell ethnotaxonomical in my initial post - twice. Chalk it up to fatigue - ------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 3:09 AM, D. Joni Kindwall-Moore <joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:
This is such a great beginning, Ethnotaxonomy is a perfect starting point for the discussion.
On Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 10:41 PM Don Osborn via Collab <collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Tangential to our main concerns, but relevant to questions about "millet(s)" as a concept that hops across several sub-families of Gramineae, I've been musing on the notion of ethnotaxonomy.
Ethnotaxonomy - which may be defined as "The naming system for plants and animals used by a particular ethnic group"/1 - is a term from anthropology. As such it may seem a bit unusual to apply to English language usage. However, I'm thinking a good case could be made for ethnotaxonomy as a framework to respond to questions about how to define millets. Ethnotaxonomy might also be useful in approaching issues of translation in the International Year of Millets that I've looked at elswhere./2
We know that "millets" include several cultivated species of Gramineae that have common names including the word "millet." The umbrella term "millets" may also be extended to some or all of several other Gramineae, notably sorghum, fonio, teff, and Job's tears.
So the concept of "millet" seems to have become somewhat generic, and been applied to other species in common names, and then also to additional small grained cultivated Gramineae. All of which seems rather ethnotaxanomical.
Anyway, will leave it there for the moment.
DO
Notes:
- Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ethnotaxonomy - "Translation problems ahead of the International Year of Millets (IYOM2023)?" (blog post) https://donosborn.org/blog/2022/translation-problems-ahead-of-the-internatio...
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I'm going to hold off on that blog post on the "folk taxonomy" for the moment. From some feedback, I realize my diagram might be misinterpreted as a statement of how things "actually" are or where they should be, when in fact it is a preliminary attempt to describe popular impressions. I may have to make a set of diagrams - "folk taxonomy" in a complex society - to describe different understandings. Will play around with some concepts. This is useful I think in helping define what we are working to change in terms of awareness and understanding. DO ------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 4:16 PM, Don Osborn via Collab <collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Thanks, Joni.
Here's a first draft aka "tentative" diagram for discussion of popular understanding of "millet" in the US. This is kind of an advance copy. However I won't change it much if at all before putting it in a short blog post hopefully tonight, which will include some explanation.
All the best, Don
PS- Yes I did misspell ethnotaxonomical in my initial post - twice. Chalk it up to fatigue -
------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 3:09 AM, D. Joni Kindwall-Moore <joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:
This is such a great beginning, Ethnotaxonomy is a perfect starting point for the discussion.
On Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 10:41 PM Don Osborn via Collab <collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Tangential to our main concerns, but relevant to questions about "millet(s)" as a concept that hops across several sub-families of Gramineae, I've been musing on the notion of ethnotaxonomy.
Ethnotaxonomy - which may be defined as "The naming system for plants and animals used by a particular ethnic group"/1 - is a term from anthropology. As such it may seem a bit unusual to apply to English language usage. However, I'm thinking a good case could be made for ethnotaxonomy as a framework to respond to questions about how to define millets. Ethnotaxonomy might also be useful in approaching issues of translation in the International Year of Millets that I've looked at elswhere./2
We know that "millets" include several cultivated species of Gramineae that have common names including the word "millet." The umbrella term "millets" may also be extended to some or all of several other Gramineae, notably sorghum, fonio, teff, and Job's tears.
So the concept of "millet" seems to have become somewhat generic, and been applied to other species in common names, and then also to additional small grained cultivated Gramineae. All of which seems rather ethnotaxanomical.
Anyway, will leave it there for the moment.
DO
Notes:
- Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ethnotaxonomy - "Translation problems ahead of the International Year of Millets (IYOM2023)?" (blog post) https://donosborn.org/blog/2022/translation-problems-ahead-of-the-internatio...
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Looking forward to what you come up with On Mon, Mar 7, 2022 at 6:09 AM Don Osborn via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
I'm going to hold off on that blog post on the "folk taxonomy" for the moment. From some feedback, I realize my diagram might be misinterpreted as a statement of how things "actually" are or where they should be, when in fact it is a preliminary attempt to describe popular impressions.
I may have to make a set of diagrams - "folk taxonomy" in a complex society - to describe different understandings. Will play around with some concepts.
This is useful I think in helping define what we are working to change in terms of awareness and understanding.
DO
------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 4:16 PM, Don Osborn via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Thanks, Joni.
Here's a first draft aka "tentative" diagram for discussion of popular understanding of "millet" in the US. This is kind of an advance copy. However I won't change it much if at all before putting it in a short blog post hopefully tonight, which will include some explanation.
All the best, Don
PS- Yes I did misspell ethnotaxonomical in my initial post - twice. Chalk it up to fatigue -
------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 3:09 AM, D. Joni Kindwall-Moore < joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:
This is such a great beginning, Ethnotaxonomy is a perfect starting point for the discussion.
On Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 10:41 PM Don Osborn via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Tangential to our main concerns, but relevant to questions about "millet(s)" as a concept that hops across several sub-families of Gramineae, I've been musing on the notion of ethnotaxonomy.
Ethnotaxonomy - which may be defined as "The naming system for plants and animals used by a particular ethnic group"/1 - is a term from anthropology. As such it may seem a bit unusual to apply to English language usage. However, I'm thinking a good case could be made for ethnotaxonomy as a framework to respond to questions about how to define millets. Ethnotaxonomy might also be useful in approaching issues of translation in the International Year of Millets that I've looked at elswhere./2
We know that "millets" include several cultivated species of Gramineae that have common names including the word "millet." The umbrella term "millets" may also be extended to some or all of several other Gramineae, notably sorghum, fonio, teff, and Job's tears.
So the concept of "millet" seems to have become somewhat generic, and been applied to other species in common names, and then also to additional small grained cultivated Gramineae. All of which seems rather ethnotaxanomical.
Anyway, will leave it there for the moment.
DO
Notes:
1. Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ethnotaxonomy 2. "Translation problems ahead of the International Year of Millets (IYOM2023)?" (blog post) https://donosborn.org/blog/2022/translation-problems-ahead-of-the-internatio...
-- Collab mailing list Collab@lists.millets2023.space https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab
-- Collab mailing list Collab@lists.millets2023.space https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab
Thanks, Joni, In the meantime, please no one share the previous diagram as is, since its message may be misconstrued. I think I need to go back to this basic level: Ethnotaxonomy may be too high a term for average understanding of grain diversity among a mostly non-agricultural, and non food specialist population. So, for most folks, grain taxonomies would be flat. For example:, corn, wheat, rice, oats, barley, and maybe millet and quinoa. See the attached simple diagram. That doesn't tell us a lot, except that for "millet" we know there are several different species under that term. See also the image of a list of grains at this URL: https://donosborn.org/blog/other-blogs/linkedin-articles-posts/linkedin-2014... . A useful list of grain names and species, until you get to "Millet," after which there are four species names. This to me is a problem with terminology, in which one word confusingly can mean different plants. It's this kind of thing I had in mind when bringing in the ethnotaxonomy idea. (The page that was the source of the image has since edited it out, but retained a text version with "millet" followed by ... four species names: https://www.cropsreview.com/cereal-crops/ ). Of course, people with special interest or specialized knowledge may have subcategories under one or more.grain in their mental maps.. Ethnotaxonomies - folk taxonomies - of plants are typically more elaborate as they are the result of people organizing useful plants, and varieties of the plants, in ways that make sense to those people, but may not align with the botanical relationships. Since the word "millet" is applied to diverse grains in different parts of the grass family, it also doesn't align with the botanical relationships. If it's cultivated and has small roundish seeds that can be eaten, then maybe it's a millet. This is what seemed to me like a folk taxonomy. Anyway, I'll leave it there for now, but may come back to it if I have a new idea. It would be interesting to do a survey about perceptions of grains and foods made from them, which would take this kind of discussion up a level or two. Hope that makes sense. (Another late night composition.) DO ------- Original Message ------- On Monday, March 7th, 2022 at 11:40 PM, D. Joni Kindwall-Moore <joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:
Looking forward to what you come up with
On Mon, Mar 7, 2022 at 6:09 AM Don Osborn via Collab <collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
I'm going to hold off on that blog post on the "folk taxonomy" for the moment. From some feedback, I realize my diagram might be misinterpreted as a statement of how things "actually" are or where they should be, when in fact it is a preliminary attempt to describe popular impressions.
I may have to make a set of diagrams - "folk taxonomy" in a complex society - to describe different understandings. Will play around with some concepts.
This is useful I think in helping define what we are working to change in terms of awareness and understanding.
DO
------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 4:16 PM, Don Osborn via Collab <collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Thanks, Joni.
Here's a first draft aka "tentative" diagram for discussion of popular understanding of "millet" in the US. This is kind of an advance copy. However I won't change it much if at all before putting it in a short blog post hopefully tonight, which will include some explanation.
All the best, Don
PS- Yes I did misspell ethnotaxonomical in my initial post - twice. Chalk it up to fatigue -
------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 3:09 AM, D. Joni Kindwall-Moore <joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:
This is such a great beginning, Ethnotaxonomy is a perfect starting point for the discussion.
On Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 10:41 PM Don Osborn via Collab <collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Tangential to our main concerns, but relevant to questions about "millet(s)" as a concept that hops across several sub-families of Gramineae, I've been musing on the notion of ethnotaxonomy.
Ethnotaxonomy - which may be defined as "The naming system for plants and animals used by a particular ethnic group"/1 - is a term from anthropology. As such it may seem a bit unusual to apply to English language usage. However, I'm thinking a good case could be made for ethnotaxonomy as a framework to respond to questions about how to define millets. Ethnotaxonomy might also be useful in approaching issues of translation in the International Year of Millets that I've looked at elswhere./2
We know that "millets" include several cultivated species of Gramineae that have common names including the word "millet." The umbrella term "millets" may also be extended to some or all of several other Gramineae, notably sorghum, fonio, teff, and Job's tears.
So the concept of "millet" seems to have become somewhat generic, and been applied to other species in common names, and then also to additional small grained cultivated Gramineae. All of which seems rather ethnotaxanomical.
Anyway, will leave it there for the moment.
DO
Notes:
- Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ethnotaxonomy - "Translation problems ahead of the International Year of Millets (IYOM2023)?" (blog post) https://donosborn.org/blog/2022/translation-problems-ahead-of-the-internatio...
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I think you are onto something good here Don, we do have to consider the pseudocereals so the etc space is good following quinoa. I have a call with Dani set up to just give her a brief overview and see how we can work together and see if she has ideas about popular taxonomy. Also with a guy named Sergio Nunez de Arco came from the quinoa side of things and has been interested in other emerging ancient grain markets. I think that there is a lot of synergy between what happened with quinoa and what will happen with millets very soon. I saw an article here this morning (see photo) and my husband kinda laughed and said: "just beginning huh?" Jonathon, where in the bay area are you, maybe we can grab coffee? like the 26th or 27th? [image: IMG_D27426860508-1.jpg] On Mon, Mar 14, 2022 at 10:18 PM Don Osborn <donosborn@protonmail.com> wrote:
Thanks, Joni, In the meantime, please no one share the previous diagram as is, since its message may be misconstrued.
I think I need to go back to this basic level: Ethnotaxonomy may be too high a term for average understanding of grain diversity among a mostly non-agricultural, and non food specialist population. So, for most folks, grain taxonomies would be flat. For example:, corn, wheat, rice, oats, barley, and maybe millet and quinoa. See the attached simple diagram. That doesn't tell us a lot, except that for "millet" we know there are several different species under that term.
See also the image of a list of grains at this URL: https://donosborn.org/blog/other-blogs/linkedin-articles-posts/linkedin-2014... . A useful list of grain names and species, until you get to "Millet," after which there are four species names. This to me is a problem with terminology, in which one word confusingly can mean different plants. It's this kind of thing I had in mind when bringing in the ethnotaxonomy idea. (The page that was the source of the image has since edited it out, but retained a text version with "millet" followed by ... four species names: https://www.cropsreview.com/cereal-crops/ ).
Of course, people with special interest or specialized knowledge may have subcategories under one or more.grain in their mental maps..
Ethnotaxonomies - folk taxonomies - of plants are typically more elaborate as they are the result of people organizing useful plants, and varieties of the plants, in ways that make sense to those people, but may not align with the botanical relationships.
Since the word "millet" is applied to diverse grains in different parts of the grass family, it also doesn't align with the botanical relationships. If it's cultivated and has small roundish seeds that can be eaten, then maybe it's a millet. This is what seemed to me like a folk taxonomy.
Anyway, I'll leave it there for now, but may come back to it if I have a new idea. It would be interesting to do a survey about perceptions of grains and foods made from them, which would take this kind of discussion up a level or two.
Hope that makes sense. (Another late night composition.)
DO
------- Original Message ------- On Monday, March 7th, 2022 at 11:40 PM, D. Joni Kindwall-Moore < joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:
Looking forward to what you come up with
On Mon, Mar 7, 2022 at 6:09 AM Don Osborn via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
I'm going to hold off on that blog post on the "folk taxonomy" for the moment. From some feedback, I realize my diagram might be misinterpreted as a statement of how things "actually" are or where they should be, when in fact it is a preliminary attempt to describe popular impressions.
I may have to make a set of diagrams - "folk taxonomy" in a complex society - to describe different understandings. Will play around with some concepts.
This is useful I think in helping define what we are working to change in terms of awareness and understanding.
DO
------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 4:16 PM, Don Osborn via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Thanks, Joni.
Here's a first draft aka "tentative" diagram for discussion of popular understanding of "millet" in the US. This is kind of an advance copy. However I won't change it much if at all before putting it in a short blog post hopefully tonight, which will include some explanation.
All the best, Don
PS- Yes I did misspell ethnotaxonomical in my initial post - twice. Chalk it up to fatigue -
------- Original Message ------- On Sunday, March 6th, 2022 at 3:09 AM, D. Joni Kindwall-Moore < joni@snacktivistfoods.com> wrote:
This is such a great beginning, Ethnotaxonomy is a perfect starting point for the discussion.
On Tue, Mar 1, 2022 at 10:41 PM Don Osborn via Collab < collab@lists.millets2023.space> wrote:
Tangential to our main concerns, but relevant to questions about "millet(s)" as a concept that hops across several sub-families of Gramineae, I've been musing on the notion of ethnotaxonomy.
Ethnotaxonomy - which may be defined as "The naming system for plants and animals used by a particular ethnic group"/1 - is a term from anthropology. As such it may seem a bit unusual to apply to English language usage. However, I'm thinking a good case could be made for ethnotaxonomy as a framework to respond to questions about how to define millets. Ethnotaxonomy might also be useful in approaching issues of translation in the International Year of Millets that I've looked at elswhere./2
We know that "millets" include several cultivated species of Gramineae that have common names including the word "millet." The umbrella term "millets" may also be extended to some or all of several other Gramineae, notably sorghum, fonio, teff, and Job's tears.
So the concept of "millet" seems to have become somewhat generic, and been applied to other species in common names, and then also to additional small grained cultivated Gramineae. All of which seems rather ethnotaxanomical.
Anyway, will leave it there for the moment.
DO
Notes:
1. Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ethnotaxonomy 2. "Translation problems ahead of the International Year of Millets (IYOM2023)?" (blog post) https://donosborn.org/blog/2022/translation-problems-ahead-of-the-internatio...
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participants (2)
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D. Joni Kindwall-Moore -
Don Osborn