"Provincial", "provincial" - these terms can be heard today more often as disparaging, characterizing backwardness, antiquity. But this is not always the case, this term has a long history and its own specific features. The province in our time is a multifaceted phenomenon, a full-fledged participant in the processes taking place in society.
Where did the word "province" come from?
In history, this term has appeared since the time of the Roman Empire, known for its numerous conquests of lands, which were, at times, quite far from Italy. The Latin word provincia consists of two: pro - forward and vincere - to shoot. Those. in relation to the metropolis - Rome, which was represented in the form of a trunk, the Roman provinces were its shoots, which were given the right to live their own lives, but at the same time they were ruled by governors appointed by Rome and were subordinate to the Roman emperors.
Subsequently, this term began to be used in administrative, political and legal practice, acquiring both a geographical meaning, embodied within the boundaries, and an everyday meaning, characterized by a special way of life and way of life, worldview.
In Russian, the term "province" appeared after the administrative reforms undertaken by Peter I in 1699. Then, during the formation of the tax system, in order to facilitate the collection of state taxes and duties, it was decided to divide the territory of Russia into 11 provinces and 49 provinces, replacing the previous division into counties. As a unit of administrative-territorial division, the provinces existed until 1780, but this word continued to be actively used in Russian to denote a whole cultural and social phenomenon.
The meaning of the word "province"
In his explanatory dictionary, V. Dal defines this word as a territory - a province, region, district, and as life outside the capital, provincials are residents of provincial regions. The explanatory dictionary by S. Ozhegov also defines a province as a territory remote not only from the capital, but also from any other major industrial center.
Gradually, the word, which appeared as an official term, became one of the most frequently used in everyday, scientific, political, literary, artistic, journalistic use. If we consider it from the standpoint of dualism, then this is a companion word for the word "capital", which is the opposite in meaning. Those. the creativity and vitality characteristic of capitals and large centers are contrasted with the inertia and conservatism of the province. But this word is not at all abusive, it does not contain a negative meaning, since provincialism also implies loyalty to traditions, regularity, lack of fuss and haste, sincerity and integrity.
