A treatise (from lat. Tractatus - “subjected to consideration”) is one of the literary forms corresponding to a scientific essay containing a discussion of a question [1] in the form of reasoning (often polemically pointed), which aims to set forth a fundamental approach to the subject [2 ] .
In this sense, the word treatise appears when translating from European languages the names of works, where Latin is used if not directly . tractatus (for example, Spinoza's " Tractatus Theologico-Politicus " or Wittgenstein's " Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus "), then Eng. tract or English treatise . At the same time, in English, the special term pamphlet ( English pamphlet , appeared in the 14th century; originally meant an unbounded brochure without a cover) began to be used to refer to “brief accusatory works on socio-political topics” [3] , thereby distinguishing between journalism genres ( pamphlet) and scientific work (treatise). The subject matter of the treatises per se ( philosophy , science , religion ) is not an argument in favor of the possibility of applying this term; it simply reflects a thematic set of printed works typical of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the New Age. Essential here is the scientific and philosophical content and belonging to this era. When used in a figurative, humorous sense (cf. a student's treatise ), it is this meaning of the term that is the source.
Content
- 1 In India
- 2 Problems of translation of the term in the names of literary works
- 3 See also
- 4 notes
- 5 Links
In India
In India, from the time of the early Middle Ages, many treatises were written that examined various fields of knowledge, including astronomy, medicine, agronomy, mathematics, etc. - all of them were called sastra (unit part - sastra ). Especially much shastra was written in the field of religion, this applies both to different forms of Hinduism, as well as to Jainism and Buddhism, some of them almost received the status of sacred texts.
Problems of translation of the term in the names of literary works
In European languages, the original lat. tractatus served as the basis for the formation of a number of terms that are correlated with different literary forms and genres . Internal numbering in the dictionary sockets and the sequence of listing the translation options given in the Great English-Russian Dictionary (approx. 150,000 words):
- tract² ⒈ treatise, brochure, pamphlet; ⒉ ( rare ) scientific work; ⒊ ( rare ) a part of a book that treats a single subject; [four]
- tractate treatise, scientific work. [5]
- treatise ⒈ treatise; ⒉ scientific work, monograph; course ( training ) [6]
show that each of several variants of the term is projected in English on a special associative series. At the same time, it is possible that he will not correspond in all respects to a number of associations of the Russian-speaking reader, and that the very idea of the subject will be different. The collection of examples of treatises on en: Treatise [7] includes, among others, the “ Capital ” of Karl Marx and the “ Origin of Species ” by Charles Darwin . Attributing them with the old term treatise , the compiler was guided not only by the meaning “⒉ scientific work, monograph”, but also emphasized their historical significance. At the same time, when translating treatise as a “treatise” as applied to these works, the Russian reader may have the opposite, ironic perception.
The clarification of the subtleties of national perception is facilitated by the study of specific cases of the use of a particular version of the term treatise in other languages. So, one of the greatest economists of the 20th century, J. M. Keynes, used the following options in the names of his works:
| 1921 | A treatise on probability | Probability study |
| 1923 | A Tract on Monetary Reform | Monetary Reform Treaty |
| 1931 | A treatise of money | A treatise on money |
See also
- Pamphlet
Notes
- ↑ Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language . Ed. prof. Ushakova D.N. - M .: State. Publishing House of Foreign and National Dictionaries, 1940. T. 4, stlb. 769
- ↑ Dictionary of foreign words . M .: Rus.yaz., 1988 .-- 608 p. - from. 502
- ↑ Dictionary of foreign words , p. 358
- ↑ Large English-Russian dictionary. M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1972.- vol.2, p. 653.
- ↑ in the same place .
- ↑ Large English-Russian dictionary. t.2, p. 661.
- ↑ Due to technical limitations, this page may contain interwiki links to only one of the translation options.