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THE BENEFICENT GIVES TO THE BENEFICIARY

  • Recently the word “beneficent” is widely being used to name the recipient of aid under various EU programs. Some speakers and writers even go further to pronounce it as “benficIent”. This is in fact a teasing language mistake.
  • “Beneficentia” in Latin means “generosity, charity”. It comes from “benefacere” = to do smg good and from “beneficium” = benefit, favor. The one who provides the good, the favor, he who gives away a benefit is called “beneficent”. Whereas the one who is favored, the recipient of what the beneficent gives is called “beneficiary” from the Latin “beneficiarius”. This can be easily checked in any Latin dictionary or law of contract textbook or in a Roman law manual. English language has directly adopted the Latin term for a favored person = beneficiary which is accessible for reference in any English dictionary. Therefore all recipients of subsidies under various EU programs and funds are only beneficiaries and not beneficents. The only beneficent here is the European Union.
  • We appreciate that “beneficient” sounds refined and sophisticated. But self respecting educated Bulgarians and institutions should avoid this linguistic primitivism and should demonstrate an adequate terminology culture. It is hard to imagine integrity in the Bulgarian attitude towards those European funds if on highest level the terms for giving and receiving are being publicly confused.

June 2008

Valentin Braykov