In our everyday speech quite often there is such a thing as maxims. What is it, how do they look and build, why are they needed? In fact, everything is simple, and when you read everything about the meaning and essence of this term, you will realize that you yourself often use it at home and in the company of friends. Well, let's take a closer look at the origin and features of this section of the Russian language.
Brief description of the term
Aphorisms, maxims, apofegmus and maxims - what is it? After all, everyone knows that these terms are used to refer to brief (and sometimes quite long) instructive statements that most often carry great meaning and wisdom accumulated by generations. Often, modern youth refers to such words as quotes, and very often they are found on social networks. However, no one calls such statements there by such a term as "maxims." What is it then, and why is this word not too common in our vocabulary? The answer is simple: in a broad sense, all of the above terms are synonyms, and in colloquial speech you can apply any of them. However, from the point of view of the Russian language, each such statement has its own structure and structure, therefore the names are different. A true maxim is a statement that has an edifying, instructive, commanding character, that’s the whole difference.
From the depths of centuries
The first maxims appeared in antiquity. Then military leaders, philosophers, and other learned people, based on their own experience and knowledge, wrote their treatises, which contained a mass of such wise notes. Unfortunately, the original meaning of many of them has been lost, since numerous coups d'etat, a change of ideologies and worldviews, their constant translations into other languages of the world have greatly clouded the true meaning. But you can learn something more or less reliable from ancient material by reading Latin maxims. What is this, every student knows, and you can find them in books, on the net, even on some business cards and calendars. Among them are the words of Julius Caesar Veni, Vidi, Vici, which translates as “Came, saw, won,” or Si vis pacem para bellum - “If you want peace, prepare for war” - and so on.
Why is sentence an imperative?
As noted above, such statements must certainly have the form of an imperative, that is, to be edifying, commanding, directing to certain actions or thoughts. Why? The fact is that in medieval times in France, as well as in tsarist times in Russia, a short figurative saying, teaching, maxim turned into a synonym for the word "sentence." This term was used to mean the last court decision, not subject to discussion. Most often it was used in military affairs, and not in civilian affairs, so the term is not so widespread. Today, this word is completely excluded from legal use, so people have returned to its original meaning.
Apply this term or miss it?
Today, people use a whole mass of all kinds of sayings and statements that have different lengths, structures and subtexts. Some are borrowed from the classical works of authors, others are quotes from films, and others are generally invented by bloggers. Undoubtedly, among each of these subgroups there is a maxim. The meaning of the word gives us the opportunity to determine what of all this baggage is it and what is not. That is, the phrase “Don’t judge and let us not be judged” is definitely a maxim, but the phrase “Nobody knows your own face” will not fall into this category, although it is drawn from world classics (C. Pavese, “The Devil in the Hills”). Therefore, when using this term in your speech, be careful. It can be used as a synonym for words such as “quote” or “aphorism”, however, in the circles of writers and journalists it is advisable to refrain from false wit and use the term for its intended purpose, so as not to look ridiculous.
Varieties of Maxim
In general, we figured out what the sentence is in our speech. The synonym that most often applies to this word is apofegma, however, there are also differences here. Extremely short imperatives, which can consist of one to five words, are called apofegmus in the literature. Such statements are in every language, and they are not translated, since their meaning is clear to the whole world. Among them, we will name the following: “Sherche la Fam” - Look for a woman (French); Momento mori - Remember that you will die (Latin saying); “Bee!” (Kozma Prutkov) and much more. Similar phrases can be found in any book, draw from there what you like most and make it your motto or credo.
Where maxim is most often used
The meaning of the word is imperative, which is why today the term occupies a leading position in creating advertising campaigns, politics, doing business and other branches of modern industry. With the help of such slogans as if ordering everyone else, customers are lured, the reputation of any institution or manufactured product is raised, the necessary social environment is created that contributes to better business development. The most striking example is the motto of three musketeers: “One for all and all for one!”, Which has taken root in the memory of millions of people and is applied even in our time. He played a large role in the popularity of the book by A. Dumas, and later “helped” create a film based on it. There are a lot of similar examples, and you can find them not only in literature, but also in politics, in the music industry, even in shops and supermarkets (“Buy at a promotional price - and get a percentage on the discount on your next purchase!”, Etc. .).