Talent by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Name: Talent
Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The work critiques the use of the term "talented" and its implications for language and culture. It expresses disdain for the evolution of language, particularly the formation of participles from nouns, which the author views as a corruption of the English language. The author argues that such linguistic changes, often imported from American English, threaten the integrity of the idiom. The text emphasizes the importance of maintaining linguistic purity and tradition, suggesting that convenience should not justify the degradation of language. The author also humorously advises against using certain metrical forms as names, favoring more traditional choices. Overall, the piece reflects a broader concern about the impact of modernity on language and cultural values.

By Samuel Taylor Coleridge · First published 1796 · Genre: Essay, Literary Criticism, Philosophical · 198 words

First lines

I regret to see that vile and barbarous vocable _talented_, stealing out of / the newspapers into the leading reviews and most respectable publications / of the day. Why not _shillinged, farthinged, tenpenced,_ &c.? The formation / of a participle passive from a noun is a licence that nothing but a very / peculiar felicity can excuse. If mere convenience is to justify such / attempts upon the idiom, you cannot stop till the language becomes, in the / proper sense of the word, corrupt. Most of these pieces of slang come from / America.[1]

[Footnote 1: / See "_eventuate_," in Mr. Washington Irving's "Tour On the Prairies," / _passim_. -- ED.]

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Talent is listed on Textopian as an essay by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, dated 1796 CE.

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Work type: Essay
Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Date: 1796 CE
Language: English
Genres: Essay, Literary Criticism, Philosophical, Satire, Non-fiction
Length: 198 words
Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)

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Genres

Essay — The work critiques language usage and explores linguistic conventions, characteristic of essay writing.
Literary Criticism — It analyzes the use of the term 'talented' and its implications within the context of language and culture.
Philosophical — The text reflects on the nature of language and its evolution, engaging with philosophical ideas about communication.
Satire — The tone critiques societal trends in language, employing a satirical approach to highlight absurdities.