- The names of many famous and respected professions still cause confusion in the minds of the majority. For example, who puts out the flame and saves people from fire - a fireman or a fireman? This is worth sorting out!
The meaning of the word "fireman"
It would seem that these two words have no differences. But to be sure, you should turn to the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language. According to him, indeed, we can use the “fireman” or “fireman” in the identical sense with the difference that the second option refers to colloquial vocabulary. There is no other difference. "Firefighter, firefighter" is the definition of the word. However, not all so simple.
Professional firefighters have something to say about this. They interpret the indicated word in their own way. For them, a firefighter is an amateur, layman, member of a volunteer squad. In the same way they call invalids of non-staff units. The explanatory dictionary of D. Ushakov confirms this meaning. Thus, the word "firefighter" can be considered even offensive and offensive to the true master of his craft. Therefore, it should be used only in colloquial speech and not in front of real fire extinguishers.
Meaning of the word “fireman”
This term has several meanings. According to the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, the first meaning of the word “fireman” is one that refers to the prevention and suppression of fires. This adjective tightly entered into our everyday speech. We often talk and hear in the news about the glorious exploits of fire brigades, and we also know about all the advantages of installing fire systems.
The second meaning is that which refers to a flame that engulfs some material object and is about to destroy it. Example: fire alarm. The third value is most interesting to us during the study of the main issue of the article - the employee, a fire fighter. So we call professionals in their field, who every day stand guard over our security and tranquility, the integrity of material property. As you can see, there is a difference between the words “fireman” and “fireman”. And representatives of this profession prefer the first option.
"Fireman" as a neutral concept
It should be noted that this word refers not only to the profession. So you should study it outside the framework of the topic “How to say: fireman or fireman?”. There are a few more meanings. A firefighter is also one that relates to putting out a fire or preventing a fire. In what cases do we meet this word? When we see a fire hose in the room, a fire safety plan or a memo of similar content. You can recall many more examples. We all heard about fire fighting sports, saw fire fighting equipment, and admired the courage of the fire brigade.
This word may have the opposite meaning. In this case, we are talking about what, on the contrary, causes fire. The adjective, formed from the word “fire”, characterizes a huge flame that engulfed some territory or object. Often it is used in emergency reports of rescuers of the Ministry of Emergencies. They inform us of a high level of fire hazard, announce a fire alarm. What are these rescuers called? Fireman or fireman? In the course of the study, we found the answer to this question.
"Fireman" as a spoken word
The correspondence of human speech to the literary framework is always highly valued. In addition, as we managed to note during the study of explanatory dictionaries, experienced fighters with fire often even offend the colloquial word "fireman" used in relation to them.
It's no secret that we hear it from childhood, when we are told about respected professions in kindergarten and primary school. Recall this image. Red car. Loud siren. A crowd of people at a burning building. And certainly the hero-savior is a fireman. This word is so deeply rooted in our minds that it will not be so easy to accustom ourselves to the correct version, literary norm. But there is a difference between a fireman and a fireman, and it should be taken into account. Perhaps the comparison will be rude, but the fire extinguishers are unpleasant to hear the spoken version, as well as, for example, the teacher - “teacher” instead of “teacher” or the police - “cop” instead of “policeman”.
What else are firefighters called?
Often, not knowing which word to choose or how to pronounce it correctly, we try to find a synonym. There are many wonderful peripherals to the firefighter profession. Some of them are so poetic and metaphorical that they deserve special attention and a strong position in the vocabulary of each of us.
- Fire tamer. It sounds very exciting, because the imagination immediately creates the image of a fighter with a powerful element. "Tame", according to the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language, means "make meek, make obey." What strength must be had for this! To make a fiery element obey - is this not the plot for some oriental tale?
- A man of a fiery profession. The work of a firefighter is always flame and danger. A halo of mysterious romance surrounds this kind of activity, making its representatives real heroes in the society in which they live. Fiery profession - how can you better characterize the daily work of a firefighter? Enormous experience and the encounter with true danger - this is the difference between a pro and an amateur volunteer. That's the difference between a fireman and a fireman. The love and respect of people for the representatives of this profession is embedded in the periphrases that we noted in this section.
How to say: fireman or fireman?
The explanatory dictionary of the Russian language completely lays the answer to this question, arguing that both words have identical meanings. The only difference is where you use them. In everyday communication at home and with colleagues at work, we can say “fireman”, while implying a professional fighter with fire. And everyone will correctly understand who is meant by this word. Writing requires literary correspondence. Therefore, which option to choose - a fireman or a fireman - depends only on us. Nevertheless, it is always better to give preference to the first. He expresses our respect for the honorable profession, shows the level of knowledge of the Russian language. And choosing the right one — a fireman or fireman — will no longer be so keen.
Conclusion
In the course of the study of this issue, we came to the conclusion that, by saying “fireman” or “fireman”, a person does not make mistakes. Only the second option is best used only in colloquial speech.
Thus, the answer to the question of how to correctly: a fireman or fireman will depend on the specific situation and the person being described.