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Hoi polloi (, ''hoi polloi'', "the many"), is an expression from Greek that means ''the many'' or, in the strictest sense, ''the majority''. In English, it has been corrupted by giving it a negative connotation to signify deprecation of the working class, commoners, the masses or common people in a derogatory or, more often today, ironic sense. Synonyms for hoi polloi, which also express the same or similar distaste for the common people felt by those who believe themselves to be superior, include "the great unwashed", "the plebeians" or "plebs", "the rabble", "the dregs of society", "riffraff", "the herd", "the proles" (proletariat) and "peons". The phrase probably became known to English scholars through Pericles' Funeral Oration, as mentioned in Thucydides' ''History of the Peloponnesian War.'' Pericles uses it in a positive way when praising the Athenian democracy, contrasting it with ''hoi oligoi'', "the few" (Greek: , see also ''oligarchy'')〔Thucydides, ''History of the Peloponnesian War'', Book 2.34-46: " " (''"It is true that we are called a democracy, for the administration is in the hands of the many and not of the few"'').〕 Its current English usage originated in the early 19th century, a time when it was generally accepted that one must be familiar with Greek and Latin in order to be considered well educated.〔(【引用サイトリンク】publisher=Translation Directory.com )〕 The phrase was originally written in Greek letters.〔Editors of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition ("Blue plate special"; how to use "hoi polloi''; "Peck's Bad Boy'' ) October 28, 2003, ''Jewish World Review''.〕〔Lord Byron (Lord Byron's Letters and Journals ) November 24, 1813.〕 Knowledge of these languages served to set apart the speaker from ''hoi polloi'' in question, who were not similarly educated.〔 ==Pronunciation== The phrase has three different pronunciations: * English speakers pronounce it . * Ancient Greek speakers pronounced it (:hoi polloi˨˦). Double-λ is pronounced as such. * Modern Greek speakers pronounce it since in Modern Greek there is no voiceless glottal /h/ phoneme and ''οι'' is pronounced (all Ancient Greek diphthongs are now pronounced as monophthongs). Greek Cypriots still pronounce the double-λ (). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hoi polloi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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