Barbarism (linguistics) facts for kids

A barbarism is a word, phrase, or way of saying something that isn't standard or correct in a language. It's often seen as a mistake in how words are formed. A solecism, on the other hand, is a mistake in how sentences are put together.

The term "barbarism" was first used when people mixed Ancient Greek or Latin words with other languages. Over time, it came to mean any words or expressions that were considered improper or rude, especially in old Greek and Roman writings. Today, this term is mostly used for written language. Modern language experts don't really use "barbarism" as a technical term.

Classical Origins

The word barbarism (in Greek: βαρβαρισμός) was first used by the Greeks. They used it for foreign words that crept into their language. It's connected to the word "barbarian," which the Greeks used for people who didn't speak Greek.

In the 3rd century AD, a Latin grammarian named Marius Plotius Sacerdos first used the word barbarolexis. Another writer, Cominianus, later defined it. In the 4th century, Charisius made it clear that Greek words used in Latin were not considered barbarisms. According to one expert, Raija Vainio, if a word (either Latin or Greek) was messed up by adding something from another language, that was a barbarolexis, meaning a "barbarous" or improper way of writing the word.

English Usage

The word "barbarism" first appeared in English in the 1500s. Back then, it described mixing other languages with Latin or Greek, especially in books about classic subjects. By the 1600s, "barbarism" had a broader meaning. It simply referred to any unsuitable language. For example, Thomas Stanley wrote that "Barbarisme" was "a phrase not in use with the best persons."

Sometimes, Hybrid words were called barbarisms. These are words that combine parts from different languages. For instance, the French word linguistique ("linguistics") was criticized because it mixed a Latin word (lingua) with two Greek parts. However, mixing language parts like this is very common in modern English.

Even though "barbarism" doesn't have a strict technical meaning today, people still use it in everyday talk about language. They use it to describe a word or phrase that seems incorrect or not standard. For example, using French words or phrases in English (called Gallicisms) can be seen as a type of barbarism. The same goes for German or Spanish words used in English, or English words used in other languages.

Russian Example

In the 1700s and 1800s, the Russian spoken by noble families became very "barbarized" by French. Speaking French was not just fashionable; it showed that someone was well-educated. You can see a great example of this in Leo Tolstoy's famous book, War and Peace.

While the richest people could afford a real French gouvernante (a female tutor living with the family), people in the countryside had problems. Still, they wanted to show off their education. This led to what Aleksander Griboyedov's play Woe from Wit called "the mixture of the tongues: French with Nizhegorodian" (смесь языков: французского с нижегородским). This mix of French and local Russian was often used in plays and books for funny effect.

See also

• Classical compound
• Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage
• Vulgarism
• Error (linguistics)
• Solecism