That Deadly Trove again

Solecism: the technical term (used in our language since the time of Queen Elizabeth I) to denote wrong use of language. This assumes, of course, that there is such a thing as 'wrong use of language': there are those who deny it*.

The ancient Greeks devised a word 'soloekismos' to describe the way that Athenian ex-pat settlers at a place called Soloi in Silicia evolved a dialect that the folk back home at Athens considered sloppy and inaccurate. So 'solecism' originally denoted 'bad Greek'. The Romans borrowed the word into Latin, and eventually it became used widely in Europe (among the middle and scholarly classes, no doubt) for any linguistic misuse, in whatever tongue, of grammar or pronunciation or vocabulary. It has also been used metaphorically for 'bad manners' - social solecisms, as it were.

So the concept of 'bad' English is centuries old. Which is why even good-natured pedants are entitled to complain if people who ought to know better - and that includes all those who use the English language professionally - speak or write of a 'trove'. This blog has moaned about this matter often enough.

Our English phrase 'treasure trove' was (and should still be considered, even when used metaphorically) a legal term adapted from French trésor trouvé, meaning 'treasure found'. Trouvé and 'trove' are past participles of verbs; 'trove' is not a noun.

So the Editor of Radio Times should not have sanctioned a reference by one of his staff to Bob Monkhouse's archival 'trove'. It's enough to make even the best-natured pedant squirm.

* "When I use a word", Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less."

That Deadly Trove again