English heraldic terminology: analysis and comparison with Czech
By Antonin Kalous
Published Online (1998)
Introduction: This seminar essay should deal with the vocabulary of English heraldry. As a basic source of the vocabulary used for the analysis, a book by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies has been used. This work has been reprinted many times in England since it was first published, in 1925, and still remains the basic work of English heraldry. For comparison, a six-language dictionary of heraldry by le baron Stalins was used. For rendering the terms into the Czech heraldic language, many heraldic manuals were consulted (their list can be found in the last section about literature) as well as the Hais and Hodek dictionary. For etymological reference two English and two Czech etymological dictionaries were consulted.
The first part of the essay is an analysis of lexical heraldic items. The analysis is made according to different classes of the heraldic terms, starting with the ordinaries, then describing other charges. The second short section is a small illustration of the English blazon, a description of the coats of arms, that differs in some points form the Czech rules. The last but one section is the main result of this essay, namely the glossary of heraldic terms.
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This essay should be a contribution to lexicology, in collecting, describing and characterizing one part of the English lexicon, but also tries to be a useful glossary that could help not only those who are interested in the language itself, but those who are interested in heraldry, history or history of art.
By Antonin Kalous
Published Online (1998)
Introduction: This seminar essay should deal with the vocabulary of English heraldry. As a basic source of the vocabulary used for the analysis, a book by Arthur Charles Fox-Davies has been used. This work has been reprinted many times in England since it was first published, in 1925, and still remains the basic work of English heraldry. For comparison, a six-language dictionary of heraldry by le baron Stalins was used. For rendering the terms into the Czech heraldic language, many heraldic manuals were consulted (their list can be found in the last section about literature) as well as the Hais and Hodek dictionary. For etymological reference two English and two Czech etymological dictionaries were consulted.
The first part of the essay is an analysis of lexical heraldic items. The analysis is made according to different classes of the heraldic terms, starting with the ordinaries, then describing other charges. The second short section is a small illustration of the English blazon, a description of the coats of arms, that differs in some points form the Czech rules. The last but one section is the main result of this essay, namely the glossary of heraldic terms.
This essay should be a contribution to lexicology, in collecting, describing and characterizing one part of the English lexicon, but also tries to be a useful glossary that could help not only those who are interested in the language itself, but those who are interested in heraldry, history or history of art.
Click here to read this article from Hranická historická knihovna
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