Congratulations
A congratulation (in use since the 16th century , from the Latin grātulatio , this to grātulāri , phrase grātus " welcome " and grātia "favor", "thanks", "grace") or a congratulation (for the future or in the sense of a current one Confirmation of happiness) is a sign of positive participation in an event , which the recipient of the congratulations mostly perceives as happy . The one who says the congratulations is the well- congratulator (word used since the 18th century ). The way in which congratulations are given and the reasons for it are subject to certain social conventions, customs and requirements.
The rarely used expression congratulatory address describes a very formal, mostly written form of congratulation.
Features of a congratulation
Congratulations are often given on personal successes , but also on events that were not actively brought about by the recipient, such as birthdays or personal fortunes . The congratulating person, the well-wisher, expresses sympathy with the congratulated person with the congratulation and shows that they share their joy.
Congratulating someone on their birthday is a sign of solidarity with them and is aimed at appreciating that person. In the past, for this focus on a person's personal day - often referred to as a special day - it was also common to congratulate on the name day , which thus had the current status of the birthday.
Congratulations are always given on personal matters; such congratulations or congratulations can also be given afterwards. Congratulations, on the other hand, that are given on general events such as the big holidays of Christmas and Easter or the New Year are not congratulations in the sense of congratulations here, but actual wishes for a good and usually only imminent time. In contrast, the “wish” in the sense of a congratulation is not a wish, or not just a wish , but a confirmation of the happiness experienced by the person being congratulated or an expression of the well-wisher's sympathy.
Congratulations can either be expressed verbally or in writing , often using empty phrases such as B. "Congratulations on ..." or "I congratulate you on ...". In personal contact, it is accompanied by non-verbal forms of expression such as shaking hands , smiling or certain gestures and when speaking by a corresponding tone of voice .
Congratulations can have a formal or even ritual meaning that doesn't necessarily mean genuine sympathy. In certain sporting competitions, for example, it is common for the loser to congratulate the winner on their victory in order to demonstrate their own intellectual greatness and not to appear as a "bad loser", but also to express respect for the opponent's ability. Social convention also requires , under certain circumstances, to congratulate people to whom one has a certain relationship on pleasant personal events such as a birthday or wedding . Congratulations are expected in such cases and failure to do so can be considered an affront .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Duden. The dictionary of origin. 4th edition, Bibliographisches Institut AG, Mannheim 2007, p. 299. ISBN 978-3-411-04074-2 .
- ↑ A Google search on March 30, 2014 for the German-speaking area on www.google.at yielded 238 real hits.
- ↑ For example, the composer Joseph Haydn expressed his congratulations on his name day in a letter to Prince Nikolaus I. Eszterházy dated December 5, 1766, and Haydn himself thanked Prince Nikolaus I. Eszterházy in a later letter after 1800 for the sympathy shown by friends on name day. Cf. on this Joseph Haydn: Gesammelte Letters and Notes , ed. v. Dénes Bartha. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1965.
