The article will discuss such a concept as clericalism. Properties, features, examples of the use of clericalism, which belong to the group of speech stamps. But first you need to understand the concepts.
Speech stamps: definition of a concept
Stamps and clericalism are closely interconnected, the linguistic phenomenon that we are considering is one of the types of speech stamps.
Stamps are words and phrases that are often used in speech and do not have any specificity.
They deprive speech of expressiveness, individuality, imagery, persuasiveness. These include: template metaphors, periphrases, comparisons, metonyms. For example, the light of my soul, their hearts pounded in unison, in a single burst, and so on. Once such expressions were imaginative, but due to frequent use in speech, they lost their expressiveness and turned into patterns.
Most often journalists use such linguistic forms, especially many such turns in journalism, for example, the cliches include the expressions: “black gold”, “liquid gold”, “people in white coats” and so on.
What is clericalism in Russian? Definition and examples
In our language, there are a number of words that are appropriate to use only in a certain style of speech. Such words include clericalism - these are phrases and words, the use of which is allowed only in the official business style, but which are used in the artistic, colloquial and journalistic style, which leads to stylistic errors or a mixture of styles. For example, “I was subjected to a haircut based on the free provision of services.”
The dictionaries provide such definitions for the term "clericalism":
- In the Efremova T.F. dictionary, clericalism is words or linguistic expressions that are used in official business speech.
- In the Great Encyclopedic Dictionary, these are words, grammatical forms, phrases characteristic of the business style, for example, “incoming and outgoing documents”, “I bring to your attention” and so on.
- In the Modern Encyclopedia of the Russian Language and Literature, clericalism is an element of passive speech that is used in works of art to imitate a business style. That is, the authors use this kind of expression in order to portray an official language or an image of a business document. For example, they were used by A.P. Platonov in the novel "Pit", where he imitates a business style when retelling the contents of a "dismissal document."
- In the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy, clericalism is a turn of speech that is characteristic of the style of business documents and papers. In oral speech, such expressions cause a negative effect on the interlocutor.
The main signs and features of clericalism
Among the main signs and features of these words and phrases can be noted:
- the use of nouns formed from verbs: tailoring, hijacking, days off, revealing, finding, bloating, taking;
- replacing a simple verb predicate with a compound nominal, for example, instead of “desire” - “show desire”, “help” - “provide assistance” and so on;
- use of prepositions formed from a noun, for example, along the line, in part, at the expense of, at the level, in the plan;
- excessive use of words in the genitive case, for example, "the conditions necessary for the implementation of the plan";
- replacing active speech with passive, for example, "we decided (active) - the decision was made (passive)."
Clerical abuse
The abuse of such expressions and words in speech deprives it of expressiveness, individuality, imagery and leads to such linguistic flaws as:
- mixing styles;
- the ambiguity of what was said, for example, “the statement of the professor” (someone asserts it or he asserts something);
- verbosity and loss of meaning.
Naturally, clericalism looks only in business speech. But the examples suggest that they are often used in other styles, which is a stylistic mistake. In order to prevent this, you should know which words refer to clericalism.
They are characterized by:
- solemnity: the bearer of this, aforementioned, to demand, shall be such;
- everyday businesslikeness: to speak (discuss), to puzzle, to hear, best practices, specifics;
- the official and business coloring of nouns formed from verbs: capture, non-detection, underfulfillment, time off and so on.
To clericalism include:
- nouns, participles, adverbs, adjectives that are used in a strictly business communication environment: customer, principal, party, person, owner, vacant, victim, report, outgoing, free of charge, to be available;
- service words: at the expense of, to the address, on the basis of, in accordance with the charter, during research;
- compound names: diplomatic relations, law enforcement agencies, budget sphere.
Such words and phrases can only be used if they do not stand out from the text, that is, in business correspondence or in official documents.
The use of clericalism as a stylistic device
But such expressions are not always used only in official business documentation, often authors of literary works use them to figuratively characterize a hero’s speech or to create a humorous effect. The following methods were used: Chekhov, Ilf and Petrov, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Zoshchenko. For example, in Saltykov-Shchedrin: "it is forbidden to take away the head ...".
Clericalism in our country reached its maximum in times of stagnation, they began to be used in all areas of speech, and in everyday spoken language. Which once again confirms that the language reflects all the changes that occur in society and the country.