Stationery is ... To continue the sentence and give an answer to the question, we must understand that we are talking about a compound word formed by attaching the initial form of a completely different one - "clerical". Similarly formed the concept of "manufactured goods", "food products", "sporting goods" and so on. In the article, we consider the etymological meaning of the word "stationery" and give it a definition.
The origin of the concept of "office"
Sports, food, industrial goods - everything is clear here. Why stationery? How to answer: stationery is ... what? First you need to deal with the concept of "office".
The term is rooted in the distant past. It was first used between the 13th and 15th centuries. Cancellaria in Latin means the platform from which the orders of the authorities were made public. In medieval Europe, the official who headed the archive and the office where the state seal was kept was called the chancellor.
In tsarist Russia, the highest civilian rank was considered the chancellor. It corresponded to the military rank of Field Marshal (Table of Ranks, 1722). In Germany from 1871 to 1945 the head of government had the rank of Reich Chancellor, who since 1934 also had the authority of the head of state.
And today, the chairman of the government in Austria and Germany is the Federal Chancellor. And in other countries? In the UK, the finance minister is called the Chancellor of the Treasury, and the chairman of the House of Lords is called the Lord Chancellor.
Over the years, clerks began to be called both clerks and officials, who are under the heads of state institutions, and the premises they occupy. Today we often call these people office workers. Office managers, clerks and secretaries came to replace clerical officials.
What stationery includes
The concept has been strengthened in everyday life since the 19th century and meant the accessories used for writing. They became part of the etiquette of the time. Beautifully decorated invitations were sent to guests for dinner parties, dinners, balls, and cards for guests were laid out on tables.
What was at the disposal of the population? People used paper, ink, slate boards, knives for cutting pages, etc. for writing. Goose feathers were replaced by slate pencils and metal fountain pens.
Today, stationery is a huge assortment of products used for correspondence and business documentation. Very often they are divided into two large groups: school supplies and office supplies.
There are positions that overlap. These are pens, paper, erasers, pencils, notebooks. But there are specific products. For example, school supplies include diaries, notebooks, sketchbooks, paints, brushes. Office goods are folders, multifunctional coasters, files, stamp products.
With the use of modern technology, all kinds of brochures, laminators, paper shredders, computer consumables: toners, cartridges, etc. fall into the category of stationery.
Office supplies
With the help of stationery, a person writes letters, draws, draws, prints on a computer. Consider the most versatile products.
The most common product is paper. Her story began around 1500 BC. e. It was at this time in Egypt that papyrus was used for messages. In the II century BC e. in Asia Minor invented a new material - parchment. The beginning of the history of modern paper is considered the 105th year. e., and her homeland is China. Today there is a huge selection of such goods, depending on the quality characteristics and purpose: newspaper, offset, coated, self-copying and so on.
A ballpoint pen, without which it is impossible to imagine a single office manager or student today, was invented by Laszlo Biro in 1944. A more modern product is a marker created by Edding in 1960. With it, you can write not only on paper, but also on film.
Stationery is also such necessary trifles as paper clips and buttons. In the XIII century. sheets of paper were connected using cloth tape, then sewing pins, springs were used. A modern paper clip was patented in 1900 by Cornelius Brosnan, an American inventor.
In 1902-1903, stationery buttons appeared in Germany with which you can attach sheets of paper to a wooden surface, a display board. The inventor is a watchmaker Johann Kirsten.
Where can one buy
Stationery is sold in specialized stores, as well as in the relevant departments of supermarkets. Narrowly targeted trading enterprises are also being created where people can choose quality products for drawing or artistic creation. In the world there are groups of companies that have become leading brands in the stationery market: Erich Krause, MPM, ACCO and others.