sociologie

Forms

sociologie f (uncountable)^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound from French socio- + -logie, coined by Auguste Comte.^[2][3][4][5] Littré calls it a hybrid word, its first part standing for société and the rest coming from Ancient Greek λόγος (lógos, “doctrine”);^[6] Etymonline derives the first part from Latin socius (“associate”).^[7] Bloch and Wartburg say that Comte modelled it on learned words such as géologie.^[4]

The TLFi and Rey date it to 1839, the fourth volume of Comte's Cours de philosophie positive;^[2][3] Bloch and Wartburg, the Grand Robert, the Petit Robert and the GLLF give 1830,^[4][5][8][9] and Wiktionary 1834.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Comte introduced it with a note: je crois devoir hasarder, dès à présent, ce terme nouveau, exactement équivalent à mon expression déjà introduite, de physique sociale, “I think I must venture, here and now, this new term, exactly equivalent to my expression already introduced, ‘social physics’”.^[2][5]

Semantic evolution

The concept changed considerably between Comte and the founders of the modern science, in France Durkheim and then Mauss: it became the scientific study of human social facts as a whole or at a high level of generality.^[3] From the 20th century the word also named the sociological study of a particular field: sociologie du progrès (1927, Brunschvicg), sociologie du jazz (1935), sociologie animale (1949).^[2]

The school word socio (1924) is a familiar clipping.^[3] Derivatives are sociologique (1871) and sociologue (end of the 19th century).^[4] English sociology (1842) is borrowed from the French word.^[7]

Timeline

• 1830 – The date Bloch and Wartburg and the Grand Robert give for Comte's coinage.^[4][5]
• 1839 – Comte uses la sociologie in the fourth volume of his Philosophie positive, as an equivalent of physique sociale.^[2][3]
• 1842 – English borrows it as sociology.^[7]
• 1871 – The adjective sociologique is recorded.^[4]
• 1924 – The clipping socio appears in school slang.^[3]
• 1927 – Brunschvicg writes of a sociologie du progrès.^[2]
• 1949 – Vuillemin uses sociologie animale.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. Sociology: the scientific study of human social facts and of social groups as a reality distinct from the sum of their members.^[2][8][6]
2. The sociological study of a particular field: sociologie du travail, the sociology of work, or of religion.^[8][9]

Word family

• sociologue
• sociologique
• socio

Related words

• société
• social
• Latin socius
• English sociology

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h 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
3. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ a b c d Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
8. ^ a b c Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse