Chapter I: Semasiology of Volk—the Idea in Other Words

Before going directly to the main discussion of our theme, a background is sought in a brief semasiological study of the word _Volk_. The word is widespread in the Germanic languages; Gothic, however, offers no examples. Among the earliest recorded Germanic forms are those in Old English and in Old High German. Old English _folc_ meant people, common people, multitude, a people, tribe, family, army:

“He sloh folces Denigea fyftyne men”—_Beowulf_.

“Folces hyrde”—_Beowulf_.

It was particularly used originally of a crowd of people. Skeat’s _Etymological Dictionary_ suggests the possibility of its being related to both flock and full.

Old High German _folc_ meant people, body of warriors, servants, crowd, mass. The oldest meaning here suggests forces of war: _dhazs himiliscâ folc_.

The word occurs in Old Frisian as _folk_; in Old Saxon, _folc_; and in Old Norse, _folk_; with meanings equivalent to those found in Old High German and Old English.

Kluge’s _Etymological Dictionary_ says that the meaning “division of an army” seems to be the fundamental meaning of the family group, from which Lithuanian _pulkas_, heap mass, Old Slavonic _plŭkŭ_, host of war, are borrowed forms.

In Middle English the word took on the additional meaning of an aggregation of people in relation to a superior; e.g., God, a king, or priest; further it began to mean also the vulgar or lower classes, this use easily rising out of the meaning “mass” or “the many.” Such expressions occur as _beboden waes Godes folce_, _Folkes Mass Book_.

In Middle High German the meaning was people, hosts of war, army, servants, subjects, multitude: _er das Volk gewan_ (_Gudrun_, 1162, 2).

In Modern English the word is chiefly colloquial, being superseded in more formal use by “people.”

In numerous combinations (following German precedent) it has the sense of pertaining to, current among, or existing among the masses of the people or the common people. Such expressions as folk-belief, folk-custom, folk-literature, folk-name, folk-song, and folk-speech are prevalent.

Modern High German has retained the word with nearly all of its primitive meanings: _die schottischen Völker empören sich und drohen abzuziehen_;[1] _Mein Volk zu mindern_;[2] _Was rennt das Volk?_;[3] _du weisst, wir alten fahren, und ihr junges Volk reitet_;[4] _den Teufel spürt das Völkchen nie_.[5]

The large number of compounds in which the word is used limit its connotation to either “the masses” or “the common people”: _Volksbuch_, _Volksdichter_, _Volksgeist_, _Volkslehrer_, _Volksschule_, etc. Kluge in his _Etymological Dictionary_ says: “Connection with Latin _vulgus_ is uncertain; for it is questionable whether the Latin word together with the Germanic family group would come from an original _qelgos_, _qolgos_.”

Weigand, _Deutsches Wörterbuch_ says: “The earlier comparison with the Latin, _volgus_, is not possible. Rather to be compared here are the word _voll_ and roots related to the Greek πλῆθος.”

THE IDEA IN OTHER WORDS

The ideas conveyed by the fundamental meanings found in the word _Volk_ appear in other words and in various languages:

GREEK

πλῆθος—a great number, a throng, a crowd, multitude, especially
of people.

πολύς—properly of number, many; opposed to ὀλίγος.

οἱ πολλοί—the many; that is, the greater number.

ὄχλος—a moving crowd, a throng, irregular crowd, in a political
sense, the populace or mob, opposed to δῆμος.

γένος—race, stock, family, whether by blood or by nationality:
αἷμα τε καὶ γένος

―—a race in regard to number, γένος ἀνδρῶν, mankind.

φῦλον—a set of men or any living beings as naturally distinct
from others; a race or tribe; in a closer sense, a race of
people or a nation.

ἔθνος—a number of people living together, a company, a body of
men.

ἔθνος ἑταίρων—a band of comrades.

ἔθνος λαῶν—a host of men.

ὁ δῆμος—a district, country, land. Also the people of such
a district, hence (as in early times the common people were
scattered through the country while the chiefs held the city)
the commons, common people. δήμου ἀνήρ opposed to βασιλεύς.

LATIN

_Vulgus_—people collectively or without distinction, the
public or people generally: _Non est consilium in vulgo_. The
multitude, the common people, the populace.

_Populus_—a people, the commons in contradistinction to
the senate and knights: _senatus populusque Romanus_. The
inhabitants of a country or town, a nation, a whole people:
_Populus Romanus victor dominusque omnium gentium_. A large
number of people, a crowd, throng: _populus fratrum_.

_Plebs_—The common people, commonality, the ignoble opposed to
_patricii_, _patres_ or _senatus_; whereas _populus_ comprises
both classes. When the knights, _equites_, were raised to a
separate class, the _plebs_ formed the third; i.e., the last or
lowest class; hence, the lower class of people, the populace,
the mass.

FRENCH

_Peuple_—a multitude of people of the same country and living
under the same laws: _Les peuples ne souffrent que par les
fautes des rois_.[6]

_Peuple_—a multitude of people who, although not occupying the
same country, have the same religion or the same origin: _et je
serai leur Dieu, et eux ils seront mon peuple_.[7]

_Peuple_—that part of a nation considered as opposed to the
classes among whom there is either more ease or more education:
_Il y a le peuple qui est opposé aux grands. C’est la populace
et la multitude._[8]

In Middle English the word people was already a synonym for _folc_: “A Blysful lyf, Ledden the peoples in the former age” (Chaucer).

In Modern English the word people has almost entirely displaced _Volk_ except in colloquial or archaic speech. Like _Volk_ in its fundamental sense we have:

People—a body of persons composing a community, tribe, race, or
nation.

People—persons in relation to a superior, or to some one to
whom they belong.

People—the common people, the commonality; the mass of the
community as distinguished from the nobility and ruling, or
official, classes, etc. “A people’s voice! We are a people yet”
(Tennyson).