Eulogy
A laudation (from Latin laudare , 'to praise', 'to praise'; plural : laudationes ) was originally an eulogy in honor of a person or sometimes a group of people or a community, a corporation or an institution. Specific forms of laudation in Roman antiquity include:
- laudatio iudicialis : oral or written declaration in favor of a defendant, which is intended to put his character and merits in the right light
- laudatio funebris : funeral speech, usually recorded in writing and distributed by the family of the deceased.
Today, however, laudation usually means an honorable speech on the occasion of award ceremonies and other honors.
The occasion for a laudation can be the award of an honorary doctorate , a prize, the completion of an apprenticeship or an anniversary , weddings, birthdays, but also funerals. It is presented by the so-called laudator , who is usually a prominent figure from public life. The laudation is not infrequently followed by a more or less detailed speech by the honored person ( laureate ) himself. Even at funerals, a speech by the deceased is often read aloud, which he wrote during his lifetime.
In a laudation it is considered a faux pas to portray the laureate negatively or to shame them in any way. However, if problematic topics are addressed, it is considered good style to present them in such a way that the laureate does not lose face. A completely exaggerated and exaggerated laudation is (mostly derogatory) called adulation . However, a humorous exaggeration may well be intentional.
Ironically, satirically, the term is used when awarding negative prizes such as the Big Brother Awards , whose speeches usually represent a criticism of the person or institution in question.
literature
- Gero von Wilpert : Subject dictionary of literature. 8th edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2013, ISBN 978-3-520-84601-3 , p. 452.
- M. van der Poel: laudation. In: Gert Ueding (Hrsg.): Historical dictionary of rhetoric . Vol. 5. De Gruyter, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-484-68105-5 , Sp. 50-72.
