journalisme

Forms

journalisme m (plural journalismes)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French journal + -isme.^[2][3][4] The TLFi analyses it instead as a derivative of journaliste, with the suffix -iste exchanged for the one meaning a doctrine or activity.^[5] Wiktionary likewise derives it from the agent noun.^[1] Bloch and Wartburg list it among the derivatives of the base in its sense of “periodical”, after the agent noun (1684).^[6]

The base goes back, through Old French journal (“daily”), to Latin diurnālis, from diurnus (“of the day”), from diēs (“day”).^[1] The French word passed into English as journalism in 1821.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest known record is from 1705, in the Journal littéraire of Soleure, where a reviewer says that he could not spare authors his criticism without departing from “the laws established in journalism” (les loix établies dans le journalisme).^[8] The DHLF dates the word to 1705 but calls it rare before 1781, when it first meant the newspapers taken as a whole.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word stayed rare through the 18th century: Quemada's datings add a record of 1778 in a lexicon, and the TLFi and the Grand Robert give 1781, in Mercier's Tableau de Paris, as the first date.^[8][5][3] Bloch and Wartburg date it 1765.^[6] Littré still labelled it a neologism, with the senses “the condition of a journalist” and “the newspapers as a whole”.^[9]

The collective sense, the newspapers and journalists of a city or country, is now dated: the TLFi labels it old, and the GLLF notes that presse has taken its place.^[5][4] The usual sense became the profession of the journalist; the GLLF dates it to 1781 and gives 1959 for “the style typical of newspapers”, often used disparagingly.^[4] According to Rey, the word grew more common in the 19th and especially the 20th century, following the history of the press, and came to cover many trades, from writing and photography to criticism and reporting, in agencies, radio and television as well as newspapers, with labels by subject such as political or sports journalism.^[2] Photojournalisme (1983) names photographic reporting.^[2]

Timeline

• 1705 – First record, in the Journal littéraire of Soleure.^[8][2]
• 1778 – Recorded in a lexicon.^[8]
• 1781 – Mercier uses it in the Tableau de Paris.^[5][3]
• 1821 – English borrows it as journalism.^[7]
• 1837 – Balzac uses it for the press as a whole.^[4]
• 1873 – Littré still marks it as a neologism.^[9]
• 1932 – The Académie defines it as the profession of journalist, and also the newspapers of a city or country.^[10]
• 1959 – The Robert records the sense “journalistic style”.^[4]
• 1983 – Photojournalisme is first recorded.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The profession of a journaliste: faire du journalisme, entrer dans le journalisme, as in il a fait vingt ans de journalisme.^[11][5][4]
2. (dated) The press as a whole, the newspapers and journalists of a place or period.^[5][11][4]
3. The style or manner typical of newspapers, often pejorative, as in ce roman tient plus du journalisme que de la littérature.^[4][11]

Word family

• photojournalisme

Related words

• journal
• journaliste
• journalistique
• Latin diurnālis
• English journalism

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
9. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
10. ^ Académie française (1932–1935), Dictionnaire de l'Académie française, 8th ed., Paris: Hachette
11. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert