Am 04.07.2021 um 18:22 schrieb loghaD:
I'm assuming that this word isn't well-known among Klingons, so that one would have to provide some explanation of what one means when communicating with a general audience.
Among those Klingons who do know what it is, their understanding would probably vary depending on how they were introduced to the term.
For our purposes, I suppose the safest gloss to go with is whatever was used when posing the question to Okrand. It is confusing indeed, because the meaning of the word differs between English and German. I have learned now that in Germany, this instrument is called a shawm even though it's not one. I am sure there are many English words as well that refer to a thing although it's not the correct term, and only non-English speakers are confused about it.
So, for the usage of the word {Sam}, I think it's okay to say that it may refer to both things: a) its literal meaning of the original medieval shawn, and b) the martinstrumpet which is called "Schalmei" (shawm) in Germany. -- Lieven L. Litaer aka the "Klingon Teacher from Germany" http://www.tlhInganHol.com http://klingon.wiki/Word/Sam