Don Pearce wrote:

Isn't Lauten simply the German for lute?


Could well be - I haven't started researching it in detail
yet.

I can't find any evidence that "lauten" is an established
English word, whether loaned from the German or not.

The definition of a lute isn't clear. It could be that only
the body is the defining feature, in which case yours looks
like a lute to me.

It could also be that your instrument is of a particular
type originated in a German-speaking country, and because it
doesn't fall within the limits of what would be called a
lute in English, its German name was used, but never widely
enough to be considered an English word.

All in all, it seems it is either a lute, or you can call it
whatever you want. However, if you call it a Lauten, someone
will say "Isn't that simply the German word for a lute?".

Isn't "maisonette" simply the French word for a small house?

Ian