Make Your Point: CANONICAL

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pronounce CANONICAL:

kuh NON uh kull

connect this word to others:

English is rich with words that shine a holy light on everyday things.

Take the word Bible, for instance. You could apply it to any book (or magazine) that's holy to you.

(Source)

If the Star Wars universe is holy to you, you could refer to its body of movies and other media as the Star Wars canon: the holy texts.

And if there's a set of ten rules that's holy to you, you could call it a dec______. Can you recall that word?

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)

definition:

In its oldest and strictest sense, a canon is a law laid down by the church. More generally, it's a rule or principle that people are expected to follow, or a standard of judgment. And the canon is any set of standards that everyone is supposed to follow, or any group of texts or other materials that most people agree are traditional and authoritative.

So, something canonical is standard or authoritative: it follows traditional rules, or it belongs to a traditional body of texts or other materials.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective: "a canonical text;" "He hates Season 7 so much that he refuses to accept it as canonical."

Other forms:

The exact opposite is "uncanonical."

The noun is "canon:" "There's more than just dead white guys in the American literary canon."

The adverb is "canonically." Here's Reuters: "Both churches say the other is canonically illegitimate."

how to use it:

To strike a tone that's formal and reverent, and to emphasize how certain things do (or don't) belong to a group of authoritative material, call them "canonical" (or "uncanonical").

You could talk about canonical books, poems, texts, movies, video games, ballets, musical scores, and other works.

Or, talk about canonical writers, filmmakers, video game studios, musicians, choreographers, etc.

Or, get more specific and talk about canonical facts, historical figures, characters, quotes, scenes, riffs, and dance moves.

examples:

"This is the eighth mainline Yakuza game... This game is a canonical sequel, with occasional recurring characters and references that fans will appreciate."
— Sam Byford, The Verge, 10 November 2020

"This is the age of loneliness. The canonical texts are Notes from the Underground, Hunger, L'Etranger, and The Catcher in the Rye."
— Teju Cole, The Guardian, 24 August 2011

has this page helped you understand "canonical"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "canonical" without saying "authoritative" or "officially recognized."

try it out:

When you think of a genre of fiction or music that you enjoy, what classic example comes to mind first?

Fill in the blanks: "(That classic example's) (good qualities) have solidified it as a canonical (type of creative work)."

Example 1: "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's brilliance and quirkiness have solidified it as a canonical work of comedic science fiction."

Example 2: "In Pearl Jam's song 'Black,' I think it's the angst and the heartbreaking imagery that have solidified it as a canonical grunge ballad."

Example 3: "Over the last 20 years, I’d like to think that America as a whole has become a collective of 'Elf' aficionados. The film’s culty, Christmastime appeal has solidified it as a canonical holiday classic, melding memorable quotes with comedy and feel-good charm."
— Gabriella Ferrigine, Salon, 23 November 2023

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game for March is "Tidbits and Titles: Books That Became Movies!"

I provide the tidbits; you provide the title. And every answer will be a book that has been made into a movie. To see the answer, scroll all the way down. Let's play!

Here's a quote from the book: "America has been erased like a blackboard, only to be rebuilt and then erased again. But baseball has marked time while America has rolled by like a procession of steamrollers."

Here are some words and phrases that often appear in that book: Arm, ballpark, bleacher, corn, cornfield, dream, farm, grass, green, hand, Iowa City, magic, moon, outfield, silent, sky, smile, stands, voice, wonder.

What's the book's title?

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of CANONICAL is UNCANONICAL. But some pretty close opposites of CANONICAL are

A. SPIRITED and VIVACIOUS (full of cheerful liveliness).
B. FRINGE and APOCRYPHAL (not genuinely part of an authoritative body of texts).
C. ECONOMICAL and PARSIMONIOUS (using the fewest amount of resources possible).

2. Jon Pareles refers to _____ as "canonical" and "_____."

A. a "volcanic" song called "Broken Man" .. an onslaught of a song
B. Beatles songs .. thoroughly embedded in succeeding generations of rock
C. a long-awaited follow-up to Cardi B's 2018 debut album .. another one-off

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.

I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.

From my blog:
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A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.

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Make Your Point > Archived Issues > CANONICAL

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.