Knowledge

Word knowledge Today we use mainly in the meanings: ‘The whole of the information that anyone impresses in consciousness by learning, studying’; ‘By learning, such knowledge of the text that this can be said, indicates’ and ‘familiarity with facts, information from a professional field’.

These mean, in particular, describe our activities during our education, when we are intensively engaged in acquiring knowledge of different fields, consolidating knowledge, eliminating knowledge gaps, and with a variety of knowledge tests.

However, the word knowledge had different meanings in the past that are shown in the Dictionary of the Contemporary Language SSKJ2 by ​​a qualifier antiquewhich warns the user that in modern language they are no longer relevant: ‘knowledge’, ‘skill, skill’, ‘acquaintance’ and ‘love relationship’.

An overview of older and historical dictionaries shows when and in which authors were used by the elderly. Dictionary of the language of John the Holy Cross (1691–1707) only records the meaning of ‘science’, ie. ‘acquaintance’, and the later Pleteršnik dictionary (1894–1895) already brings a similar meaning to SSKJ2: in addition to the meanings of the contemporary language, it also deals with the meanings of ‘acquaintance’, ‘have (love) relationship’ and ‘acquaintance’.

Similarly Dictionary of old book Prekmurje (18th and 19th centuries) In the importance of ‘knowledge, behavior, knowledge’ also cites older meaning ‘love relationship’. However, some dictionaries record the meanings that are not in SSKJ2. Thus, in Megiser’s dictionary (1603) and Dictionary of Pohlin’s language (1765–1798) word knowledge It appears with the importance of ‘kinship’.

When reading older texts, it should be borne in mind that the same words in the past may have a different meaning, and in understanding, older and historical dictionaries help us.

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The section is created in cooperation with ZRC SAZU (Fran Ramovš Institute of Slovenian Language), author: dr. Eva Trivunovic.