Living language develops through communication. When people strive to convey not only information, but also thoughts with feelings, they endow old concepts with new meanings or create their own words. If the term is successful, it is preserved and carried through the centuries. So, contemporaries can behave to become ancestors and scoff at others. This definition is very vague, so it’s worth looking into the dictionaries in order to isolate the current value as accurately as possible.
How bad is bullying?
A large contribution to the study was made by Fasmer, who among the piles of options found the source. The current "scamper" is a derivative of a very controversial characteristic. No parent wants his children to become famous for such behavior. Indeed, traditionally the word "er" indicated people of dubious moral qualities:
- non-travelers;
- mischievous people;
- bully;
- badass.
When some dunce pushes comrades to do evil deeds, often gets involved in fights or indulges in debauchery, ancestors could say that he is scoffing. That's just for many centuries, everything has changed dramatically!
How did a libertine become a joker?
There is an incredible gulf between different eras. Those who lived under serfdom and under princes would never have correlated the concept they knew with what it means to “mock” in the 21st century. It should start with outdated interpretations, which at the moment of relevance were colloquial vulgarisms:
- debauchery;
- to hang out;
- to be naughty.
By what happened in different time periods, you can trace the evolution of the word. Initially, the term indicated reckless behavior, condemned in a decent society, carried a strictly negative connotation. Then the emphasis shifted: they began to talk about loafers so much that they were trying to entertain themselves by any means available. As a result, the craving for jokes and leprosy turned out to be the key point. Nothing offensive or offensive!
Now the language has gone further, and a negative assessment penetrates the word again. For contemporaries, it stands for:
- to be naughty, combine frivolity with cynicism;
- releasing taunts to other people;
- mock, mock.
Is it possible to behave this way?
A cynical attitude towards life is considered fashionable among young people. Ability to disdain difficulties and take disasters for granted, not taking close, helps to go towards the goal. However, more often than not, “scoffing” is to show neglect of the feelings of loved ones, to ignore social norms in order to mock.
When ridiculing vices, the word may be appropriate, but it is worth remembering that it is a bad manners, it shows the shortcomings of your upbringing. Try not to get too sick again!