Makes observations on the French language at periods of sudden growth in the vocabulary. Also looks at what people do when they find themselves compelled to talk about a think which yesterday did not exist.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1918 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII Terminology For The Idea Of Liberty Let Us look now at the idea of liberty, of freedom. To express this idea adequately the very word liberte itself underwent tremendous changes. Think how vague, how unreal a term it was before the Revolution, like the concept it represented; how remote from daily experience. Liberty, the philosophers had talked of it as they had once discussed determinism or grace, but how rarely it was on the common man's tongue! But now! Now it is on every one's lips. The meaner the man the more often he uses the word. What definiteness it has acquired! What vividness! What real concepts it now delimits within its field, what clear-cut images it now arouses in every mind the moment it is pronounced! And, too, the word revolution. This word also had always existed. There had been revolutions in Rome, in England. There had been one only recently in America. The word was known, was used on occasion, like such a word, say, as phalanx or centurion, but the occasions were rare. And then all of a sudden one day a king is told, "Une revolte? C'est une revolution!" And the word commences its whirlwind career. "Une revolution? C'est LA Revolution!" Its article is changed from the indefinite to the definite. It acquires a capital R if not capitals throughout. It becomes a proper noun. From being the mere general name of a political movement, a word on a par with 'battle' or 'war' or 'invasion, ' the mere synonym, more or less exact, of 'revolie, sedition, insurrection, rebellion, ' it now becomes one of the most individual of words, one of the most powerful. He who could say now "La Revolution, c'est moi," would wield a greater, a more violent power than had he who said "L'Etat, c'est moi." "La Revolution" in...

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Excerpt from French Terminologies in the Making: Studies in Conscious Contributions to the Vocabulary This dissertation, especially in the last three chapters departs somewhat, I am aware, from the type of those so far presented in this series. I trust that that is not, however, a cause for condemnation. I take this opportunity to acknowledge indebtedness for inspiration to the works of Nyrop, Darmesteter, and Dauzat as duly listed in the bibliography, and I offer this study as a tribute to those eminent masters, without, however, attempting thereby to place any responsibility for its faults upon them, but with the sole intention of doing them honor as far as its humble merits may. I have also been much assisted in the later chapters by T. Ranft's Der Einfluss der franzosischen Revolution auf den wortschatz der franzosischen sprache, which I have found a most valuable compilation of facts serving as a point of departure for many of the deductions which I have drawn. I owe to Professor H. A. Todd of Columbia University a much greater debt than I have opportunity here to do more than suggest, for his sympathetic and encouraging cooperation throughout the whole period of preparation of this work, from the very earliest moment of its inception through the final stages of the printing. Needless to say that without his constant help it would not have attained completion. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."