Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Clearing up the Confusion Between Secular and Sectarian.

When we hear about a bombing in Afghanistan on the news, does the announcer mention that the bombing is an example of SECULAR violence, or does the announcer say it is an example of SECTARIAN violence?

The correct answer is SECTARIAN violence, but if you thought it was the other word, you are not alone. The words SECULAR and SECTARIAN sound so similar (those words are called phonemes) they are very easily mixed up. In most dictionaries they appear on the same page, yet they can have the exact opposite meaning. That fact only makes it more important that we know the difference and have an easy way to remember the difference. That is my purpose in writing this EWA.

The etymology (or word history) of the two words is completely different:

The adjective SECTARIAN, as in sectarian violence, comes from the word SECT. Its etymology: It derives from the Middle English word secte, which comes from the Middle French and Late Latin, secta, which refers to an organized ecclesiastical body. Although the word started out meaning a way of life or a class of people, it now means a dissenting or schismatic religious body, especially one regarded by others as extreme or heretical. (My source: Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary.)

If you want to express the kind of violence that sometimes happens between different sects of Muslims, then sectarian is the appropriate word to use.

The term SECULAR has a completely different etymology: It comes from Middle English (derived from Old French) seculer, which, in turn, derives from the Latin word saeculum, meaning breed or generation, akin to the Latin serere which means to sow. That is why in modern-day usage, the word refers to the passage of time. Its first definition in Webster's: Of or relating to worldly or temporal concerns. The definition specifically indicates: Not overtly or specifically religious, for example: secular music.

So you see how SECULAR means non-religious and has the opposite meaning of SECTARIAN, which means religious or relating to a religious sect.

SECULAR MUSIC is non-religious music. SECTARIAN MUSIC, if such a term were used (it's not likely it would ever be used, but it could be) refers to the music of specific religious sects, for example Suni music.

Here's where it gets really complicated: The opposite of SECULAR is NONSECULAR. The opposite of SECTARIAN is NONSECTARIAN. NONSECULAR has the same meaning as SECTARIAN; NONSECTARIAN has the same meaning as SECULAR.

But let's keep it simple. Fix in your mind just two simple things: Secular means non-religious; Sectarian means religious.

Here's a simple way to remember: Of the two words, sectarian is the only one that has a T in it. The letter T resembles a Christian cross a little bit, so that is the word that means religious.

The other word, SECULAR, does not have a T in it, so it means non-religious.

Have I made it very simple for you to keep those two words straight? Please leave a comment if you agree.