Difference between quote and aphorism.

The addiction to quote clever (and sometimes not so) statements of various authors has recently acquired the character of an epidemic. Look at social networks - they are just full of various quotes. Many do not even know how a quote differs from an aphorism, and sometimes they do not see the meaning of what has been said behind a ringing phrase. Let's see what an aphorism is and what a quote is in more detail.

Definitions

What is a quote? This is an excerpt from the text. It can be of any size. It is important that for the first time in our country the legal status of the quotation was fixed back in 1964 in the Civil Code of the RSFSR. Article 492 stated that it is allowed to cite other authors in one's work without paying them a fee, but with the obligatory indication of the name and surname. True, this is in the event that the citation is justified by the goals of your work.

The difference between the quotation and the aphorism is that the latter has no legal definition. Most often, this word is understood as an original laconic statement, which is well remembered and repeatedly reproduced by other people both in oral and written speech. The aphorism may not have an author or its authorship is disputed by several people. Most often, the length of the aphorism is from three to five words.

At times we use aphorisms, not knowing that we often pronounce only half of the catch phrase, while the second half changes the meaning of the first by 180 degrees. For example, after the publication of the famous novel "12 chairs", many began to quote his famous "how much is opium for the people?" The more literate ones made a reference to Karl Marx, in whose writings there really is an expression "the opium of the people." And very few people know that in the original Marx not only compares religion with opium (which, by the way, was the main pain reliever at that time), but also calls it "the heart of our heartless world." Agree, the meaning of the full phrase is diametrically opposite to its fragment, which became popular thanks to the literary talent of Ilf and Petrov.

Comparison

Many have heard news anchors quote the original source, necessarily adding “end of quote” to the end. The announcers act in accordance with the laws that are the development of the legal norm established by the Civil Code of the RSFSR of 1964. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the use of quotations is regulated (or previously regulated) by the following legislative acts:

  • Law No. 535-1 "On Copyright and Related Rights" of 1993;
  • Civil Code of the Russian Federation (part 4, article 1274);
  • amendments to the Civil Code of the Russian Federation introduced by Federal Law No. 35-FZ of March 12, 2014.

Citation is necessary, first of all, to refer to the original source and to give your speech more weight. The aphorism, in contrast to its older "sister" quotation, is more "frivolous", and its task is somewhat different. Aphorism is used to give speech brightness, imagery, expression. It does not claim to be accurate, and its authorship is often impossible to establish. And one more, the main difference: a quote can be any statement, even if it is false, clumsy or too long, the aphorism is simple, short and bright. The essence of the aphorisms is expressed by the following aphorism: simple does not mean primitive.

Table

The table below summarizes what is the difference between a quote and an aphorism.

Quote Aphorism
Legal statusClearly expressed, stipulated in lawsHas no legal status
LengthAnyMost often, no more than five words, however, aphorisms of much longer length are acceptable, however, they are much less common and precisely because of the length they lose their main attractiveness - expressiveness, expression and clarity
The main area of ​​applicationMass media, scientific literature, legal documents; in other areas - much less oftenDue to brevity, intelligibility and good memorability, they are used in many areas: in literature, media, everyday speech (it is hardly possible to outline at least an approximate border)
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