Pedagogy: A Lexical Oddity

Abstract

<p>Despite the games we often play with words,</p> <p>they are seldom defined by their derivations</p> <p>(etymology), more frequently their meanings</p> <p>are governed by their usage in sentences</p> <p>(semantics). Once we do that, we discover</p> <p>that the <em>paidag gos </em>was not and never was a</p> <p>teacher. That is why the choice of ‘pedagogy’</p> <p>for the English meaning, ‘the art of teaching’,</p> <p>is so odd; it’s derived from a Greek word and</p> <p>custom that had little to do with the noble art of</p> <p>education. True, the <em>paidag gos </em>led or followed</p> <p>his charge to school, but this was simply one of</p> <p>the many places to which he accompanied the</p> <p>child, and such a role was hardly educational.</p>