2022-07-31 Sunday ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set – G – graffiti

Revision G

2022-07-31 Sunday

ศัพท์ น่าสับสน - Set – G –  graffiti

แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น 

ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค

แสดงรายละเอียด จากตำราแต่ละเล่ม ที่เป็นหัวข้อ ต่อไปนี้:

 

Dictionary.com

ออกเสียง Graffiti = ‘gruh-FEE-tee’

 

The A-Z of Correct English Common Errors in English Dictionary:

graffiti 

This is increasingly used in a general sense (like the word ‘writing’) 

and its plural force is forgotten 

             when it comes to matching it with a verb: 

 

There was GRAFFITI all over the wall. 

A few conservative writers would like a plural verb 

(There were GRAFFITI all over the wall).

 

Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression

Graffiti

This Italian word derived from both Greek and Latin 

means “phrases or words written on the walls 

of buildings, public restrooms, and sidewalks.”

 

Graffito, an archaeological term, 

refer to an ancient writing 

or drawing scratched on a wall or other surface.

 

When one phrase or word is concerned, usegraffito; 

when more than one is involved or mentioned, saygraffiti: 

 

“This is an amusing graffito.” “Most of these graffiti are obscene.”

 

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language

Usage Note: 

The word graffiti is a plural noun in Italian. 

In English graffiti is far more common than 

the singular form graffito 

and is mainly used as a singular noun 

in much the same way data is.

 

When the reference is to a particular inscription

(as in There was a bold graffiti on the wall), 

the form graffito would be etymologically correct 

but might strike some readers 

as pedantic outside an archaeological context. 

There is no substitute for the singular use of graffiti 

when the word is used as a mass noun 

to refer to inscriptions in general

or to the related social phenomenon: 

Graffiti is a major problem for the Transit Authority Police.

 

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary

graf•fi′tist, n.

usage: 

In formal speech and writing 

graffiti usually takes a plural verb. 

In less formal contexts 

it is sometimes considered a mass noun 

used with a singular verb. 

graffito is found mostly in archaeological 

and other technical writing.

 

Dictionary.com & Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary.

USAGE NOTE FOR GRAFFITI

In formal speech and writing graffiti 

takes a plural verb. 

In less formal contexts it is sometimes

considered a mass noun 

and is used with a singular verb. 

The singular graffito is found 

mostly in archaeological and other technical writing.

 

Dictionary.com

“Street Art” vs. “Graffiti”: 

What’s The Difference?

Now more than ever before, 

public art is on the rise. 

New murals crop up in cities, large and small, 

on what feels like an everyday basis, 

each one breathing new, vibrant life 

into the streets that were once blank canvases for creativity. 

The terms graffiti and street art 

have long been used interchangeably 

to describe these public art installations—

but what should we really call them? 

 

Is there a difference?

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering 

if the way you refer to your favorite public art is accurate, 

you’re certainly not alone. 

Let’s explore the origins of graffiti and street art, 

the similarities the two share, 

and the key differences that set them apart.

 

What is graffiti? 

Depending on who you ask, 

graffiti is either a form of vandalism, 

or a form of art—or both, simultaneously. 

By definition, 

graffiti refers to markings, photos, words, 

initials, or drawings that have been spray-painted, 

sketched, or even scratched onto walls, sidewalks, 

or any other publicly accessible areas. 

It’s pretty common to hear someone 

refer to any and all of these instances as “graffiti,” 

but as it turns out, 

the word graffiti is actually a plural noun. 

So if there’s just one, 

it’s technically considered to be a single graffito.

 

Derived from the Italian word with the same spelling, 

graffito translates to “incised inscription or design,” 

and is a derivative of graffiare, which means “to scratch.”

Though contemporary graffiti 

is most commonly created through spray-painting methods, historic works of graffiti

—many of which can be traced as far back as 

the beginnings of human civilization

— were scratched into cave walls and monuments 

with sharp objects like stones.

 

Graffiti over time 

The graffiti we’re familiar with today,

such as tagging of names, 

first began appearing overnight on underground subway cars 

in major cities like New York and Philadelphia as early as the 1920s. 

Graffiti is most commonly created illegally,

which contributes to the art form’s negative reputation 

rooted in crime, delinquency, and rebellion against authority.

Graffiti’s presence isn’t always negative, though. 

 

Throughout history, 

graffiti has been continually used as a vessel 

for political and social activism,

especially among those who have long been silenced or purposefully omitted from larger societal conversations. 

 

In the 1980s 

Keith Haring used graffiti to comment on the drug epidemic and AIDS crisis, and more recently, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh has created messages addressing gender inequality. 

While technically, such graffiti is a form of illegal vandalism, 

it arguably serves as a necessary disruption to daily life, 

forcing people to pay more attention to specific issues.

 

What is street art? 

In contrast, street art is, quite literally, 

art that can be found on the street. 

Defined as 

“public-space artwork that’s created 

for consumption outside of the typical art gallery setting,” 

 

street art is essentially synonymous with “public art” 

as it encompasses a variety of mediums 

like painting, sculpture, or stained glass.

 

This intentionally broad definition 

is key to understanding the scope of what street art covers, 

but public murals are by far the most common form of street art. 

 

These expansive, often larger-scale works of art 

typically painted on open walls or sides of buildings 

are most frequently created in partnership 

with companies, brands, or local organizations, 

but have also at times been commissioned 

by city officials to discourage and prevent illegal graffiti.

So, if a public mural is considered street art, 

does that mean graffiti is also a form of street art? 

The answer is: sort of.

Because they are so similar, 

graffiti and street art are often conflated 

and used interchangeably—even in some artistic circles.

But technically, 

graffiti and street art are both 

subversive art movements on their own, 

and graffiti actually predates the modernized murals 

we generally see in cities today.

 

The exact origin of the term street art remains ambiguous,

but the distinction between graffiti and street art 

became clearer within the mainstream art world 

during the 1970s and ’80s, 

possibly due to the fact 

emerging street artists who wanted a way to differentiate their work.

In fact, many of the earliest street artists and muralists 

either drew inspiration from 

or started out as graffiti artists themselves before making the switch.

Today, these murals and other forms of sanctioned street art 

are still largely perceived as more socially 

acceptable and legitimate than graffiti, 

but their presence in cities around the world remains complicated.

 

What are the key differences between street art and graffiti?

Street art and graffiti overlap in many ways, 

but the key differences between the two 

lie in technique and intent.

In terms of technique, street art tends to be image-based, whereas graffiti is more commonly word-based. 

 

Tagging, for example, 

is the most basic output of traditional graffiti writing, 

where artists repeatedly use a single symbol, word, 

or series of letters as their own personalized signature or “tag.” 

These “urban autographs” were first used 

by gangs looking to mark their territory, 

but have since evolved and served as 

a springboard into newer, more intricate forms of graffiti.

 

The more elaborate imagery of street art

—specifically murals

—is often what makes it more appreciable 

in the eyes of businesses and community organizations, while graffiti can often be perceived as

difficult to read or understand by people 

who are not familiar with it. 

Additionally, graffiti artists are often self-taught, 

while street art is generally created by trained artists 

(though that’s not always the case).

Regarding intent, 

graffiti artists are, in general, 

unconcerned with the public’s reaction to their work. 

Graffiti isn’t about pleasing or connectingwith the masses

—alongside its function as an internal language, 

it is largely a means of self-expression.

In contrast, 

street art is created with a specific public audience in mind, especially when it’s commissioned by

businesses, local organizations, or city officials. 

Street artists and muralists often aim to provoke 

audience interest and interaction through their work, 

or at the very least, a certain degree of understanding 

or appreciation for whatever it is they’re trying to convey.

 

How to use the terms graffiti and street art

So, what is the difference between graffiti and street art? 

An exact, black-and-white answer might be difficult to pinpoint.

As tempting as it might be to try to separate 

street art and graffiti into two neat little boxes, 

the truth is that the two art forms 

have long been intertwined since the very beginning, 

and are often hard to untangle from situation to situation. 

 

Artists themselves may also have 

varying personal definitions for the two terms 

based on how they prefer their work to be categorized, 

or even intentionally create public art installations 

that have characteristics of both graffiti and street art.

 

Much of UK-based street art icon Banksy’s work 

is the perfect example of this. 

Known for his political and anti-war street art, 

the artist creates all of his work illegally 

while working under the alias of “Banksy” to avoid arrest. 

This alone would classify his creations as graffiti,

but consider the fact that much of his work 

is also image-based, with the specific intention of engaging 

and speaking to the general public,

and the lines are quickly blurred.

Art is, and always will be, subjective to some degree. 

Art isn’t confinedto any strict definitions of language, 

but that is arguably the beauty of it. 

As American artist Raymond Salvatore Harmon nicely sums it up: 

“The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. 

At no point is art static. There are no rules.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Usage Guide

Is graffiti singular or plural?: 

Noun

Graffiti, which also serves as the plural of graffito, 

is commonly used as a singular mass noun. 

graffiti … was depressing people who rode the subways

This use is well established 

although not yet as well established 

as the mass-noun use of data. 

Use of graffiti as a singular count noun

is still quite rare and is not standard.

 

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.

Graffiti

Usage Note: 

The word graffiti is a plural noun in Italian. 

In English 

          graffiti is far more common than the singular form graffito

          and is mainly used as a singular noun in much the same way data is. 

When the reference is to a particular inscription 

          (as in There was a bold graffiti on the wall), 

the form graffito would be etymologically correct 

but might strike some readers as pedantic 

outside an archaeological context. 

There is no substitute for the singular use of 

graffiti when the word is used as a mass noun 

to refer to inscriptions in general or 

to the related social phenomenon: 

Graffiti is a major problem for the Transit Authority Police.