Often you hear the word "flagship" in some strange "scenery". In English and German, “man” is a man, but in fact you hear something like “the flagship of industry” or “the flagship of the squadron”. So the flagship - what is it or who is it?
Let's look at Ozhegov Sergey Ivanovich
Let us turn to the respected scientific classics. Philologists advise to refer in such cases to the very authoritative "Dictionary of the Russian language" of an equally authoritative Russian linguist. We ask ourselves: "The flagship - what is it or who is it?" We turn to the dictionary and read:
FLAGMAN, aa, m. 1. Commander of the squadron, a large formation of warships. 2. A large, warship (sea or air) on which the squadron commander is located. 3. The largest or best ship of the fleet in a given region, a special flotilla, etc. F. whaling flotilla. Adj. Flagship, th, th. F. ship.
Authorities should not be questioned. Moreover, the way it is. Nearly.
Peter I, Holland and the Navy
The word “flagship” is of Dutch origin (vlagman), consisting of two distinct roots “flag” and “man”. That is, the "flag" and "man." Would translate it in Russian: "standard bearer." Directly from Dutch it must be translated like that. The fact is that it penetrated into the Russian language as a naval term during the reign of Peter the Great, who was fond of naval engineering and laid the glorious traditions of Russian navigation. At first, this was how the word functioned, which was reflected in the meanings recorded in Ozhegov’s dictionary.
However, language is a living substance. Not a single dictionary can shackle him into the shackles of rules and norms. Especially when a society that speaks it, like ours now, breaks free and comes into contact with other languages and new realities.
The best, most advanced, leading the way, the most-most, large, leader
Native speakers of the Russian language, apparently because of the imagery, liked the third paragraph on Ozhegov. They forgot about the ships, and now the meaning of the word “flagship” has changed. It is used not only in the “Ozhegowski” style, but also as it is subtitled ... “The flagship of light industry” is about the leading manufacturer of textile products. “The flagship of Russian football” - this season it is the team-champion of the country Moscow “Lokomotiv”. “The flagship of the world economy” is about a very economically developed country. Well and so on.
So far, the word "flagship" is rarely used in this meaning as applied to a person. But it seems that this is not far off. For example, a standard bearer walking in front of the national team at the opening of the Olympic Games, why not a flagship? And the best, and advanced, and large (not always literally), and a leader. And, in fact, what would be strange and wrong if the word returns to its original direct meaning, as in native Dutch? So in English there is the word flagman. After all, they do not wonder, the flagship - what is it. This is, first and foremost, the “standard bearer,” even the road worker with flags. And on the Formula 1 tracks, the flagship waving its start, finish and other flags.
And yet, we have the right question to ask: the flagship - what is it, and not who it is. Anyway, bye.