Grandiose
January 14, 2004
Grandiose is another word of Latin origin. I heard it mentioned during the lunchtime news in the context of George Bush’s plans for the colonisation of Mars. An American scientist called them a “grandiose waste of money”. Immediately my little ears twitched in excitement at this interesting choice of words.
Clearly he was trying to shock the listeners with this oxymoron linking a very positive word, grandiose, with a very negative one, waste. I also thought this was an excellent illustration of what I was arguing in an earlier entry about the contrasting status of words of Latin origin v. words of Germanic origin. Here we have a French word with a Latin origin (grandis) right next to a word whose Latin origin is a lot more distant, since it went from the Latin word vastus (empty) via Old North French waster and Middle English wasten. Besides, grandiose is a 3 syllable word versus the single syllable word waste. The contrast couldn’t have been more striking.
But then, I checked the exact meaning of grandiose and was extremely surprised to see that it is twofold:
1. Characterized by greatness of scope or intent; grand. 2. Derog. Characterized by feigned or affected grandeur; pompous.
The plot was thickening. The use of grandiose was even cleverer than I thought. Indeed it seems that in this context, this word can take on either meaning or both: it can be seen as a great project (if you think humans should indeed inflict themselves on the rest of the galaxy), or a pompous one (if you think this is all about proving how clever we are). It can also be seen as a great pompous project.
The other question this raises is: at which point of the transfer between the French and the English languages did grandiose take on this second meaning? The French definition of grandiose, just like the one of grandis (great), contains no such negative facet. Could it be due again to the relative bad press words of Latin origin tend to have?
Funny -- I think I've only ever been aware of "grandiose" as a derogatory word, and yet every dictionary I look it up in gives the positive definition first, including the OED, 2nd ed. (which also gives, as its earliest citation for the negative sense, a Thackeray quote from 1840). I have a feeling that most native English speakers would agree with me, and that's probably why the American scientist used the word in the context of a "grandiose waste of money": when you're talking about something big that is also pompous or extravagant, "grandiose" is your natural first choice . But if it's big and impressive in a *good* way, you tend to prefer "grand".
Posted by Anthony Hope on January 19, 2004 10:49 PMAs an anglophone living in a francophone country, I often find words like this in French, words that are 'friends' for some meanings but 'false friends' for others. For example, French assumer is the same as English 'assume' when one wants to assume a role or a risk, but not a fact (its most common use in English, I assume); for that you have to use presumer or supposer. Words like these are especially tricky.
Posted by Ken Nichols on January 21, 2004 10:06 AMI agree with Anthony. It is "election" time here in the U.S. and any reference to G. W. Bush has to be sarcastic! However, being a Scientist, he just may be one of the few here who has the intelligence to use a concept with multiple meanings, to insult someone in such a way that he (the Scientist) can't be convicted of libel.
It's take just over 200 years, but we have managed to stop speaking English, here; we now "talk American" instead. The American Language is filled with Oxymorons and Sarcasms.
Puns run rampant in the Media. No Newspaper or Television Reporter can resist the most lame of puns. But let the average person make such a pun and he/she is derided for it. :o)
I agree with Anthony. It is "election" time here in the U.S. and any reference to G. W. Bush has to be sarcastic! However, being a Scientist, he just may be one of the few here who has the intelligence to use a concept with multiple meanings, to insult someone in such a way that he (the Scientist) can't be convicted of libel.
It's take just over 200 years, but we have managed to stop speaking English, here; we now "talk American" instead. The American Language is filled with Oxymorons and Sarcasms.
Puns run rampant in the Media. No Newspaper or Television Reporter can resist the most lame of puns. But let the average person make such a pun and he/she is derided for it. :o)
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