The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Where does the “certificate” come from?

2020-10-30T16:38:54.400Z


The word "attestation" has made a comeback since the start of the reconfinement. Linguist Jean Pruvost looks back on his story.


“In poetry, five syllables”

, clarifies Littré from the start in 1864 about “attestation”, even before any definition.

To tell the truth, how often have you come across said "attestation" in a poem?

We agree, the word is not particularly conducive to daydreaming ... As for the first definition offered in his Dictionary of the French language, it is hardly more exhilarating:

"Action to attest"

.

We prefer the second:

"Testimony given to someone".

Definition, certainly followed by an encouraging example:

"Provided with the most honorable attestations"

, but above all a definition very close to the etymological source.

We certify the certificate ...

In the 15th century,

"Meslon was very much blamed for the great attestations and insults he had made",

we read with the current spelling in the Glossarium of Du Cange, the 17th century scholar, with notes so precious to the posthumous dictionary.

No question here of any certificate, but simply of undoubtedly unsavory "testimonies".

It is indeed in the Latin "testis", the witness, that it is necessary to refer, from which will come to term the "witness", but also in the same family the "certificate", the latter being constructed from from the preposition ad- in the direction of, and from the verb “testari”, to testify, hence the construction of the Latin resulting in the couple “attestari” and “attestatio”, the testimony.

The word “attestation” entered the French language in the middle of the 13th century, shortly after the verb attester, which was spotted at the very beginning of the century.

And very quickly, these words will take legal force.

Seriousness is essential!

Abbé Féraud in three T ...

When in 1787 the Abbé Féraud offered his Critical Dictionary with a single n, using a light spelling, the "attestation" was firmly anchored (inked?) In the indelible proof lying on paper:

"Certificate, testimony doné - only one n for Jean-François Féraud - in writing ”

.

We will then appreciate the examples offered:

"Certificate of the Curé, the Doctor, the Professor"

.

Without forgetting as an additional example, completing the article,

"the attestation of life and manners".

The formula remains in force, slightly modified, as recalled by the ninth edition of the Dictionary of the Academy, free on the Internet:

"Certificate of good life and morals".

From the first to the ninth

From the first edition of the Dictionary of the Academy, published in 1694, the example given for the verb "to attest" recalls one of the roles of the priest:

"The priest has attested that he had married them"

, which confirms the article devoted to the certificate:

"He has the certificate of the Curé"

.

It was before the civil status… The certificate had to be guaranteed by an indisputable personality.

Also we will not be surprised that, in this wake, the certificate is installed in a court of justice.

Beware of cheaters:

"The witness made a false attestation before the judge",

underlines the French Academy in the last edition.

We are here in the action accomplished.

And the academician Voltaire, very interested in the dictionary of the Academy, to confirm that since the classical period the attestation is also a certificate:

"So my dear friend, send me immediately a certificate which I will use. before the judges, and which will serve to confuse calumny ”

, he wrote in a letter of 1736.

The booming attestation

If the attestation can, from the first edition, be that of the doctor, it is in the sixth edition in 1835 that the

“attestation of the mayor”

appears

, indisputably

“written testimony”

.

From the nineteenth century all kinds of certificates began to flourish: insurance certificate, residence certificate, payment certificate, employment certificate, internship certificate, etc.

And will enter, confinement requires, the exceptional travel certificate, the worker certificate, provided by the employer, the permanent certificate signed by the school.

We certainly “attest” with all of our arms in the maelstrom of the pandemic!

The attestation of our friend Alain Rey

How many times have I said that

"such

and

such a word is attested"

to

"such and such a date"

?

For example, that "derogatory" is attested in 1341. The attestation is then to be likened to a

"dated example of the use of a word, of a phrase"

, as the French Academy specifies.

This new meaning of the word "attestation" dates back to the 19th century, when we set off on a frantic search for the origins of words in line with historical linguistics.

Do not be surprised that the dates we announce are sometimes provisional.

It suffices to find an older document attesting to the written presence of the word, and then the date mentioned in the dictionary must be changed as the first certificate.

Our paper dictionaries do not have an immutable etymology: you have to buy one from time to time.

The dicopaths obtain all the vintages.

In addition to wonderful memories, we shared this madness with Alain Rey, director of this extraordinary work that is the Historical Dictionary of the French Language, to be obtained of course in the latest version!

Because Alain Rey was a scout born of new attestations.

The certificate without revising ...

Decades ago, I passed the school certificate.

It's my best diploma, almost half a square meter.

In colors.

“Certificate: Written document which 'attests' a fact”

, such is the first definition of the Grand Robert.

It is, so to speak, a "certificate" of a given level ... It does not take more for our friends who are authors of crosswords to revel in it to make the cruciverbists guess with jokes the word "certificate".

What definition do they suggest for “attest”?

"Award the certificate".

Well, here it is, the whole of France can benefit from a fine attestation, a certificate without revising.

Honestly, we would have liked to have been exempt from this diploma ...

Source: lefigaro

All news articles on 2020-10-30

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.