Dictionary

formalism en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈfɔːməlɪz(ə)m/ (UK)
• /ˈfɔɹml̩ˌɪzm̩/ (US)

Etymology

Etymology tree English formal Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íd͏̌d͏̌ō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English formalism From formal + -ism.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice etc.
2. (countable, uncountable) One of several alternative computational paradigms for a given theory.
3. (countable, uncountable) An approach to interpretation and/or evaluation focused on the (usually linguistic) structure of a literary work rather than on the contexts of its origin or reception.
4. (countable, uncountable) The tendency to elevate formal above expressive value in music, as in serialism.
5. (countable, uncountable) A particular mathematical or scientific theory or description of a given state or effect.
   • Heisenberg seems to have been motivated by his intense annoyance that Schrödinger's more intuitive version of quantum theory was more widely accepted than his own, even though both formalisms led to the same results. 2011, Brian Cox, Jeff Forshaw, The Quantum Universe, Allen Lane, published 2011, page 54:
6. (countable, uncountable) A formal expression of a grammar; a formal grammar; a set of rules of syntax that, without reference to semantics, determine whether a sequence of symbols is a well-formed sentence in a given formal language.
   • Dirac approaches quantum mechanics by means of a so-called symbolic method, the bracket formalism. Although this formalism has a mathematical flavour, in fact, it is based upon bold claims which lack mathematical foundation. 1986, S. J. L. van Eijndhoven, J. de Graaf, A Mathematical Introduction to Dirac's Formalism, Elsevier (North-Holland), page ix:
   • 1992, tuart M. Shieber, Constraint-based Grammar Formalisms, The MIT Press, page 51, It is this abstraction that justifies considering these methods as characterizing constraint-based formalisms in general, rather than an individual formalism.
7. (countable, of mathematics, uncountable) The ontological view of mathematics as a mere collection of string manipulation rules.

Forms

Deriveds

canonical formalism · Russian formalism · neoformalism · nonformalism · antiformalism · Bird-Meertens formalism · path integral formalism · zombie formalism

Relateds

formulism · formalist

Translations (34)

fi formalismi (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · kk формализм (literature: structural approach to interpretation) · ru формали́зм (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · pl formalizm (literature: structural approach to interpretation) · sk formalizmus (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · kk формализм (mathematics, physics: a particular theory or description of a state of affairs) · pl formalizm (mathematics, physics: a particular theory or description of a state of affairs) · bg формали́зъм (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · ka ფორმალიზმი (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · kk формализм (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · cmn 形式主義 /形式主义 (literature: structural approach to interpretation) · kk формализм (music: tendency to elevate formal above expressive value) · sh формализам (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · ro formalism (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · cmn 形式主義 /形式主义 (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · ca formalisme (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · hu formalizmus (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · pl formalizm (computing: paradigm) · pl formalizm (music: tendency to elevate formal above expressive value) · pl formalizm (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · it formalismo (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · sh formalizam (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · mk формализам (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · cmn 形式主義 /形式主义 (mathematics, physics: a particular theory or description of a state of affairs) · se formalisma (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · fr formalisme (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · pt formalismo (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · be фармалі́зм (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · uk формалі́зм (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · cs formalismus (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · es formalismo (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · de Formalismus (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.) · cmn 形式主義 /形式主义 (music: tendency to elevate formal above expressive value) · ja 形式主義 (strict adherence to a given form of conduct, practice, etc.)