Linguistic Notes

I figured it was about time to publish some of my language observations, so as to keep to the promise in the title of my blog!

In my French studies in the classroom, I always learned that in French, only the first word of a title is capitalized. However, a bit of research has presented conflicting viewpoints on how titles are capitalized in French. Some say that only proper nouns are capitalized; some say that proper nouns and their descriptors are capitalized; the variations continue. In English, typically each word that is not an article or preposition (of, the, to, etc.) is capitalized. Also, the Oxford Comma is never used in French. It is used based on writer preference in English. In the same sentence in L’Encyclopédie and in the Plan of the French Encyclopedia, the Oxford Comma is omitted in the French print while it is included in the English print.

When I first began to read the Encyclopedia, I had to adjust myself to a couple of things. Other than becoming accustomed to handling three-hundred-year-old original prints, there were differences in the language and format, some of which I expected. The most glaring difference was the way the letter “s” is sometimes printed. Printing presses of the time often printed the lowercase “s” so it looks more like an “f”. This occurs when an “s” appears at the beginning or in the middle of the word, but never at the end of a word. I was baffled; it seemed impossible that “s” used to be “f” in every old French word. I soon deciphered the problem – Mr. Ring informed me of the printing difference.  

A difference in actual language, however, is that the typical “ais,” “ait,” “aient” endings used in some verb tenses were instead “ois,” “oit,” and “oient.” In addition, the first “a” in the word “connaissances” is an “o” in L’Encyclopédie. A brief reading of the Wikipedia article “French Verb Morphology” shed light on this situation: using an “o” where there is now an “a” was simply a part of Old French, “not…abandoned by the Académie Française until 1835.” Specifically, this difference appears frequently in verbs conjugated in the imperfect tense, used to signify actions in the past.

Planches - Prints and Diagrams

            I won’t be able to post my extensive observations of the planches until next week, but I wanted to give just a little preview of what is to come. Recall that of L'Encyclopédie's 28 volumes, 11 of them are planches, which are prints of diagrams of things included in the text of the encyclopedia. 
            These images are from the first planche, which encompasses everything from agriculture to “maçonnerie,” or masonry.
            First, here are two of the many anatomy plates from the first planche, one of the circulatory system and one of the brain. I would be interested to know what modern medical experts would have to say about these figures!
            The plate further below is a diagram of a "pressoir à cidre," or a cider press. In the table of contents of this planche, the authors explain that the plates for the cider press depict the "instructions for pressing cider...[and] the details of the work" needed to do so. 

Introduction

My name is Christina Claxton, and I am a sophomore at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut who is planning to major in Philosophy and Public Policy. During the fall of 2013, I will be a fellow in the Watkinson Library, the college’s library archive. The fellowship is an opportunity for students to explore and learn from the wealth of knowledge contained in the Watkinson’s expansive collections. Artifacts range from Victrola record players from the 1920s to an original print of the Diderot Encyclopedia from the 1750s, the latter of which will be the subject of my research. I have always been interested in European history and the French language; L’Encyclopédie, as it is called in French, captures both of those subjects. Written and assembled during the Enlightenment, the goal of L’Encyclopédie was to contain all of the information in the world in a single place. Over the course of the semester, I will work with its volumes as well as related sources to understand both its impact on the time of its publication and how it has influenced present day knowledge and thinking.

As you can see, the blog is titled “Philologie de L’Encyclopédie,” which translates to “Philology of the Encyclopedia.” Philology is the study of languages in historical sources; one of my main focuses of my research will be on the language used in this historic treasure. I’m really looking forward to comparing the French I know with the French used by Diderot and d’Alembert, the two authors of L'Encyclopédie. However, though I am fluent in French from seven years of class instruction and various immersion programs, I will write this blog mainly in English. L’Encyclopédie, of course, is in French, but academic writing in a language other than one’s mother tongue is quite challenging (and the French are particularly picky about nuances and word usages). So, for the sake of quality and accuracy, I will write in English. Some French will inevitably make its way into my writing, so I will translate for any non-French speakers.

More than just being my learning experience and hobby this fall, I hope that this blog can be a casual learning tool for others as well. My objective for this project is to explore this work and to give my own perspective on an incredible composition from a very important time in history. For further information about both L’Encyclopédie and its contributors, I recommend visiting the Britannica Encyclopedia. Questions and/or comments can be sent to christina.claxton@trincoll.edu.

Merci de votre attention, et j’espère que vous trouverez le même valeur dans ce projet que je sais j'irai!

Cordialement,

Christina