Monday, August 22, 2011

shibboleth



shibboleth [ˈʃɪbəlɪθ] n.

1.) The Hebrew word used by Jephthah as a test-word by which to distinguish the fleeing Ephraimites (who could not pronounce the sh) from his own men the Gileadites.
2.) transf. A word or sound which a person is unable to pronounce correctly; a word used as a test for detecting foreigners, or persons from another district, by their pronunciation. A peculiarity of pronunciation or accent indicative of a person's origin. loosely. A custom, habit, mode of dress, or the like, which distinguishes a particular class or set of persons.
3.) fig. A catchword or formula adopted by a party or sect, by which their adherents or followers may be discerned, or those not their followers may be excluded. Hence, a moral formula held tenaciously and unreflectingly, esp. a prohibitive one; a taboo. The mode of speech distinctive of a profession, class, etc. (O.E.D. 2nd Ed.).

Etymology: adoption of Hebrew shiˈbbōleth; in the Vulgate transliterated sciboleth. The word occurs with the senses "ear of corn" and "stream in flood"; modern commentators prefer the latter, on the ground that on this view the selection of the word is naturally accounted for, as the slaughter took place "at the fords of Jordan".

"And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay: Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousands" (Judges, Unknown Author, ~600 B.C.).

(Shibboleth, Doris Salcedo [Photo: Tate Modern Museum], 2007)
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There's some modern art for you, Ala mode 7. I know you think I'm unaware of anything after the Franco-Prussian War, but I actually saw this exhibit at the Tate Modern, so there. Okay, it's time to announce the winner of this week's contest. It's...D4! He wrote:
And the Lacrimae Rerum award goes to... Herbert Hemp!" Yelped the gaucherie MC as he pulled a baroque simulacrum of some demon, the "award". Herbert's face paled, overwhelmed with lassitude and shame, finally working his way out of his seat to slump through the crowd as they pointed, laughed and booed. That's when he fell off the bed and saw he had overslept.
Well-played, sir. The only flaw is that you used "gaucherie" as an adjective instead of a noun (it should have been "gauche"). So, that means D4 overtakes Intraman as the outright leader and gets one step closer to a free book (my O.E.D. is off-limits, though!). Next week's words are plus ca change, paean, hirsute, bellwether, ebullition, celerity, and sinous. Good luck and thanks for reading!

19 comments:

Once Upon A Time... said...

oh i didn't know there was a prize, i would have written you more paragraphs lol!

Writer said...

One of my favorite words. It is so indicative of an ancient time. :)

Diego Sousa said...

i have nothing agains jews, but, man, hebrew is such a ugly language!

GMSoccerPicks said...

That looks like something my jewish grandma would say. Shut your shibboleth you little schmuck

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I've never been entirely sure of the meaning of this term -- now I know, thanks!

Shaw said...

What a strange one

Unknown said...

Congrats to D4. What a great paragraph.

I find myself becoming increasingly fascinated by the origins of these words now. Thanks.

D4 said...

Ah, gauche, okay! I didn't think I'd get that one, but hurrah indeed.

And I love this word so much. Shibboleth. I'm not sure I could use it often, but I had no idea that's what it was called.

Once Upon A Time... said...

re your comment: i don't know why everyone keeps saying that what i wrote is a poem, i don't think it is...just random words while listening to a song lol.

if i have enough time, i'll send you a paragraph. and not because there's a book involved. i was just joking.

jos xx

Jay said...

Great word. I like the second meaning of the word.

Zombie said...

it sounds like it would be a delicious jewish side dish. Yeah can I have some kosher beef with a side of Shibboleth. :D

Meri said...

It sounds kind of snobby!

Anonymous said...

I like the pronunciation .wav or w/e you've added; and if it's been included in your posts for some time now, well, it's new to me. :>

mamtc said...

I need this word. And shibboleth and sabbath arent that far to guess that this could be a hebrew word,isnt it?

mamtc said...

Reminds me of custom muslims followed to distinguish real muslims and non-muslims by asking them to cite kalima.

Mai Yang said...

was thinking of using this one later on our essay. haha!

nowaysj said...

Could be in my top 1000 word list. Good one!

DWei said...

That is a really awesome word and perfectly described me in China. :P

Katie said...

I love the image.

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