philologie

Forms

philologie f (uncountable)^[1] One manuscript of Raoul de Presles (1371–1375) has the variant philosogie, perhaps a crossing with philosophie.^[2]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin philologia (“love of letters, devotion to the liberal studies”).^{[2][3][4][1][5]} The Latin word, found from Cicero on, is from Ancient Greek φιλολογία (philología, “love of argument, love of letters and learning”), from φιλόλογος (philólogos, “fond of discussion, learned”), formed from φίλος (phílos, “loving”) and λόγος (lógos, “speech, reason”).^[2][4][3][6] The modern sense, the study of a language through the critical analysis of its texts, is according to the revised TLFi a separate borrowing of German Philologie, used so from Kant on;^[2] the older TLFi thought German influence possible but hard to measure.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first appears, isolated, in Raoul de Presles's translation of Augustine's City of God (1371–1375), which mentions the allegory of Martianus Capella, the marriage of Mercury and Philology; there it means “love of learning”.^[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The word was really introduced in the 16th century, by Jean Bouchet (1516) and Guillaume Budé, in the sense “love of letters and eager study of the liberal arts”.^[2][7] In 1547 it was also used for the art of fine speaking, and by 1690 it covered the whole learning of grammar, rhetoric, poetics, antiquities, history and the criticism of authors.^[4][8] In the 19th century, under the influence of German scholarship, it came to mean the study of languages through their texts (1802–1803), applied first to Latin, Greek and Hebrew;^[2][3][4] philologie classique and philologie du moyen âge appear in 1818 in A. W. Schlegel, and philologie comparée about 1840.^[3][4] The word long competed with linguistique, which only later prevailed.^[4]

Timeline

• 1371–1375 – An isolated record in Raoul de Presles.^[2]
• 1516 – Jean Bouchet uses philologie among the branches of learning.^[2][3]
• 1547 – Budé and Jean Martin use it for the love of letters.^[2][7]
• 1690 – Furetière records the sense “general learning in letters”.^[8][7][9]
• 1803 – Mentelle uses it for the critical study of a language and its texts.^[2]
• 1818 – Philologie classique and philologie du moyen âge appear in Schlegel.^[3][7]
• 1840 – Philologie comparée is recorded.^[3][7][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated) Learning in letters; the historical study of texts.^[9][6]
2. The study of a language through the critical analysis of its texts and their transmission: philologie romane.^[9][2]
3. (specifically) The formal study of texts in the manuscripts that have handed them down, beside paléographie.^[9]
4. (dated) Philologie comparée: the comparative study of several languages.^[6][3]

Related words

• philologue
• philologique
• Ancient Greek φιλολογία (philología)

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Steinfeld, Nadine; Buchi, Éva, eds. (2005–), TLF-Étym: révision des notices étymologiques du Trésor de la langue française informatisé, Nancy: ATILF
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 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
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 8, 380b
6. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
8. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert