a philosophical question. . .

[Badger]

We had a guy on here several years ago that lived in Mexico, I can't rememeber his name now. Anyway he was a relative newbe like the rest of us and his work wasn't all that great. He decided to go proffessional. 6 months later his work was beautiful. I have no dubt that we have a lot of bowyers here who could be transplanted back a few centuries into a military bow making shop and be up to speed in no time at all.

[Onebowonder]

Philosophical reductive linguistic analysis has no ending point.  The simple definition of the word 'bowyer' is someone that makes bows.  There is lots of room for various degrees of skill within such a definition, ...but that is why we have adverbs, gerunds and adjectives!   


OneBow

[cadet]

As above.
I guess bowyering isn't a formally recognised trade as such in most places (although there is probably a guild in the UK?), so anyone who makes bows, and wants to call themselves a bowyer, can; there's various adjectives that may qualify a bowyer: amateur, professional, hobbyist, expert, master, hack; there's probably various other trades and professions which would enhance the credibility of a bowyer - cabinet or furniture making, engineering etc.

[jeffp51]

Philosophical reductive linguistic analysis has no ending point.  The simple definition of the word 'bowyer' is someone that makes bows.  There is lots of room for various degrees of skill within such a definition, ...but that is why we have adverbs, gerunds and adjectives!   


OneBow

Yeah, as a part time philosopher and full time linguist, I am the first to admit that words don't mean anything at all if you think abut them too much. you are what you think of yourself as--and for most that means a guy who makes bows out of wood.  But I see some of the work on this site and I am amazed at the level of craftsmanship involved and I wonder how they would have fit in when people were named Fletcher, Bowyer, Archer, Bowman, etc.  Maybe in the end it is like porn--I can 't tell you what it is, but I know it when I see it.

My wife is happier that I spend my time looking at wooden curvy limbs than the other kind of curvy limbs.

[GB]

I think if you can take an inert board or stave and transform it into a gracefully bending, durable, hard hitting bow, you are a bowyer.  Then again, I've had some horrendous days at the range and still have the nerve to call myself an archer.