Dear Steve,
Thanks for the reply and the clarification. I apologize for the length of time it took me to also reply. My life suddenly got swamped and I wished to take the time to give you a lucid response rather than a harried one.
I appreciate receiving the words you are using in the I33, and who the translation was done by. I personally used the word displacement for 'obssesio' rather than counter. I felt it to be a little more accurate, and not quite so generic. But both IMHO seem to be semi-accurate. I would also term 'religa' as rebind or maybe just bind (depending), but I used step instead of advance for 'calca'. Other than that we seem to have arrived at similar translations and concepts for this manual. I can agree with you that a counter may be a type of a parry, but I feel that parry is frequently too generic of a word to accurately describe exactly how the action is to proceed.
You defined a parry as, 'any defensive action with the blade.' I also agree that this is a very broad definition. But, I can agree with your definition. However I disagree about the age that you assign to the word parry.
'The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories' has this to say about the word parry-
"parry [late 17th century] this word probably represents French parez! An imperative meaning 'ward off', constantly heard as an instruction in fencing lessons. It is from parar, from Italian parare 'ward off'."
The Merriam - Webster online dictionary has this to say about parry-
"Pronunciation: 'par-E
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): par·ried; par·ry·ing
Etymology: probably from French parez, imperative of parer to parry, from Old Provencal parar, from Latin parare to prepare
Date: 1672
intransitive senses
1 : to ward off a weapon or blow
2 : to evade or turn aside something
transitive senses
1 : to ward off (as a blow)
2 : to evade especially by an adroit answer
- parry noun "
Since both of these sources sites the word parry to be a 17th century word, approximately 330 years old and not 600, and is derived from previous languages, I would argue that despite similarities, the word parry has obviously shifted meanings with time and cultures. Therefore to say that the word parry has meant the same thing through out the history of combat with the sword could be considered slightly misleading. As you said, these terms must 'be used correctly' or we risk misunderstanding one another.
As for misunderstandings, I believe that you have misunderstood John when he said, "I use the term 'parry' all the time. Everyone understands it. But there are plenty of times when I refer to parrying by displacing with a counter blow for instance and must use other terms.' He was speaking of a blow to his adversary’s sword, and not to his adversary. This would be an aggressive or powerful beat, not a 'counter attack with opposition', I believe that this action more than fits the definition of parry, both those above, yours, and every other definition I have seen or read in manuals of classical and modern fence. He went on to clarify his meaning when he said "Prior to the 16th century, chivalric literature is resplendent with descriptions of knightly warriors 'parrying' by 'striking down his blows' or 'warding off his blows with strength,' etc."
IMHO we have been discussing apples and oranges here, i.e. attacks and parries. Just look at the confusion that language can create, and we are speaking the same language one to another. But at the same time we should not become so hide-bound in our own assumptions about the definitions of the words used historically by the masters, otherwise we risk limiting ourselves.
As our art matures and grows, we must be willing to allow it to grow and not stunt its growth by over emphasizing the meanings we have created from the mists of time with our own personal and cultural filters. After all, we all need to be careful that we don't fall so much in love with our own conclusions that we blind ourselves, thusly killing our art. After all, for something to be alive, it must be able to change and grow.
With respect and no ill intent,
Brian Hunt.
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