1.1. History and Origin of the Etiquette
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the origins of today’s etiquette began in the French royal courts in the 1600s and 1700s. Under King Louis XIV, a placard (the word “etiquette” means card or placard) was devised and posted with rules for all to follow. They took manners much more seriously in those days and people were stricter in following rules.
Actually, it is said it was the King’s gardener at Versailles who faced a serious problem: He could not stop members of the nobility from trampling about in the delicate areas of the King’s garden. He finally attempted to dissuade their unwanted behaviour by posting signs called etiquets, which warned them to “Keep off the Grass”. When this course of action failed, the King himself had to issue an official decree that no one could go beyond the bounds of the signs. Later, the name “etiquette” was given to a ticket for court functions that included rules regarding where to stand and what to do.
Anyway, even before Louis XIV, the first known etiquette book was written in 2400 BC by Ptahhotep. As prehistoric people began to interact with one another, they learned to behave in ways that made life easier and more pleasant. Manners might have had a practical purpose. Then early civilizations developed rules for proper social conduct beginning with a behaviour code by Plahhotep, a vizier with ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom during the reign of the Fifth Dynasty King Djedkare Isesi (ca 2414-2375 BC). All known literate civilizations, including ancient Greece and Rome, developed rules for proper social conduct. Confucius included rules for eating and speaking along with his more philosophical sayings.
The first known treatise about proper behaviour “Discipline Clericalis” was written by the Spanish priest Pedro Alfonso in 1204, which was meant for the clergy. Later on the basis of this book English, Dutch, French, German, and Italian etiquette guidances were published. Still the biggest popularity at courts first in Italy and then in other European countries won “The Courtman” (1517) by Rafael’s contemporary and friend Count Castilgone. In 1558 another Italian writer Jiovanni de la Casa published guidance “Galateo, or The Book of Good Manners”, including recommendations concerning the ways of dressing, communicating, and behaving at the table.
In the first part of the XVII century many books of etiquette recommendations were published in Europe: “Authentic Nobleman” by Du Soie, “A Guidebook for Cavaler” by Nervesa, anonymous collection “Flowers of Eloquence” which was five times republished during the period between 1598 and 1605.
The first attempts to write etiquette guidance in America were those of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. They wrote codes of conduct for young gentlemen. Emily Post published the first best-selling book of manners in the USA in 1922. However, she was preceded by George Washington who made the first recordings of American etiquette in his Rules of Civility.
The word “etiquette” is of French origin – fr. etiquette – a label. The primary sense in French is represented by English “ticket” (an adoption either of the word or synonymous “etiquette”). In Old French the word chiefly denotes a soldier’s ticket for lodging. Later the word becomes to signify a device to fasten a sheet of paper and then – a sheet of paper with something written on it, in particular, at a trial. From this in the XVIIIth century another meaning has developed – ceremonial, etiquette (in accordance with cards disposed in order of court rank). The other modern Romanic languages have adopted the word from French in the secondary sense: Italian – “etichetta”, Spanish – “etiquetta” (“a book of ceremonies hid in the king’s palace”). The transition from the meaning “ticket”, “label” to that of “prescribed routine” presents no intrinsic difficulty but its actual history in French is not very clear [3].
Today the word has a wider meaning – a set of rules for behaving correctly in social situation; the conventional rules of personal behaviour observed in the intercourse of polite society; or, the prescribed ceremonial of a court, the formalities required by usage in diplomatic intercourse.
The term is sometimes used synonymously with manners, though some writers make the distinction between manners to mean rules which involve justifiable respect shown to others, and etiquette to mean rules which are based purely on tradition and have little obvious purpose.