Каково значение слова «тривиальность»?We used to use it exclusively in a negative way. But is it legitimate to consider the expression “trivial” as synonymous with “banal,” “primitive,” or even “vulgar”? Where did this, apparently, foreign motto come from? In this article we will consider several versions of the origin of the term, its further metamorphosis and rooting in the Russian language. Remember, in which cases it is appropriate to use this word. And also we will study the question of why some pedants from science of the word “sugar”, “saltpeter” or “strawberry” are also considered to be trivial expressions.
All researchers agree that“Triviality” is a Latin word with a Russian ending inherent in nouns. The most approximate translation of the term trivialis is “on three roads.” What was at the crossroads in the ancient settlements of Europe? Historians argue that a place for fairs or tavern. In such places, ordinary people gathered, news was discussed that was widely heard, and debates were not conducted at the highest oratorical level. Therefore, first in French, and then in other dialects, the expression “trivialis,” that is, “the intersection of three roads,” acquired an allegorical meaning. On the one hand, it is something simple, simple. But on the other - repeatedly repeated after smart people, hackneyed, battered, non-original. Earlier in the Russian language, the term carried the meaning of “everyday”, “ordinary”, but then gradually acquired a negative coloring - “vulgar”.
Other researchers see the noble trivium inthe root of the word "triviality". This is one of the levels of medieval classical education. When the boy mastered reading, writing and counting, he could enter, in modern terms, the “preparatory faculty” of the university. There he studied the "trivium" - three free art. Grammar is the foundation of all knowledge. It included the study of literature and even mastering the art of versification. The rhetoric, according to Raban Mavr, made it possible to express their thoughts correctly and succinctly (both in writing and before the audience), and also introduced the student to the fundamentals of jurisprudence. This is also the art of writing official documents and office work. And finally, the dialectic, or logic, the science of all sciences. The ability to think, to lead the discussion. This free art was comprehended by the works of Aristotle in the translation of Boethius. As we see, in such an origin of the word "trivial" there is nothing shameful. On the contrary, the one who mastered trivium was already considered an extraordinary, learned man.
Whence comes that “triviality” is somethingbanal, devoid of originality and novelty, something in which there is no flight, no thought, no spirit? Do not forget that trivium was only the first (and lowest) level in the education system of the Middle Ages. Next, the student studied the "quadrivium" (quadrivium). This level included four free arts - music, arithmetic, geometry and astronomy. It should be assumed that medieval studioios also had their own "hazing", expressed in a dismissive attitude towards the still "uncouth" comrades from junior years. In the mouth of a well-trained cleric, the “trivial man” is the one who mastered only the trivium. That is, it is a dropout with an incomplete higher education.
In these branches of human knowledge, the term is notalways has a negative sound. If some substances or living organisms got their name before the introduction of the scientific nomenclature, which involves naming objects in accordance with their chemical composition, molecular structure or phylogenetic data, then they are considered “trivial”. Such is sugar (α-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-fructofuranoside), baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), strawberries (garden strawberries) or night blindness (caustic buttercup). In mathematics, triviality is some kind of numbers that are close to zero. As well as arithmetic equations operating with these numbers.
But “triviality” as a scientific term isexception to the rule. In colloquial everyday life, this word carries a clear semantic meaning. These are banal sayings, hackneyed, hackneyed maxims. In terms of clothing, the term may mean mediocrity, lack of style and originality. Also, something simple or self-evident is said to be trivial. The synonym for this expression in this case is “common place”. Sometimes trivial is called shallow, banal thoughts when a person operates on stereotypical concepts. In Russian, this word is a shade of vulgarity and earthiness. To say about a person that he is a real triviality means to declare that he is boring and uninteresting. Therefore, before you call your interlocutor, think about it, because he may be offended.
