On the Study of Words. Lectures Addressed (originally) to the Pupils at the Diocesan Training-School

by Richard Chenevix Trench

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360 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1913

About the author

Richard Chenevix Trench (9 September 1807 – 28 March 1886) was an Anglican archbishop and poet.

Known as Richard Trench until 1873 .

He was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Richard Trench (1774–1860) and the Dublin writer Melesina Chenevix (1768–1827). His elder brother was Francis Chenevix Trench. He went to school at Harrow, and graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1829. In 1830 he visited Spain. While incumbent of Curdridge Chapel near Bishop's Waltham in Hampshire, he published (1835) The Story of Justin Martyr and Other Poems, which was favourably received, and was followed in 1838 by Sabbation, Honor Neale, and other Poems, and in 1842 by Poems from Eastern Sources. These volumes revealed the author as the most gifted of the immediate disciples of Wordsworth, with a warmer colouring and more pronounced ecclesiastical sympathies than the master, and strong affinities to Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Keble and Richard Monckton Milnes.

Reviews

[RoseMerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In reading Thoreau, Richard Chenevix Trench's study of words piqued my interest. Thoreau wrote of "savage" being previously written as "salvage," coming from "sylva," and so natives are truly "of the forest." He also wrote how a field is "feld," a clearing the result of felled trees, and how a wild man is merely a man "willed" and that we must not sacrifice our wildness.

I was very pleased to read all of this and more for myself. My eyes were opened to origins I had not recognized nor would have sought, and I took great pleasure in piecing through this work. I also appreciated the commentaries on the moral aspects of our language-- that any man who has contemplated morality must recognize that his words ought to say exactly what he means.

My complaint in reading this is that there were many points that warranted further explanation, and Trench glossed over many distinctions that were not as obvious to his audience as I'm sure he supposed. I would have really enjoyed attending such lectures as it surely would have afforded opportunity for further inquiry.

Overall I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about the words we use and why we use them.

[thestarsailor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really went into detail about the origins of certain words and how they have certain meanings, with the conclusion coming to a better organization of thoughts due to a better understanding of the vocabulary. Reading this over a month was not a good idea but I read the last 35 pages or so in one go, so I felt a bit caught up on it and it's idea, which may not be a good thing actually.

[Charles Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have only read a portion of this book, have it on my kindle.
What I have read has really caused me to think about the origin of words.
A little difficult of a read as R.C. Trench is a true intellectual.