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Research draft

motto

vr.tr.motto · INF.MED

Let an agent explain mottos and their kinds, relay heraldic and official conventions, describe notable mottos with attribution, and distinguish mottos from slogans, maxims and battle cries.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain mottos and their kinds, relay heraldic and official conventions, describe notable mottos with attribution, and distinguish mottos from slogans, maxims and battle cries.

A short phrase or sentence expressing a guiding principle, ideal or purpose of a person, family, institution, state or movement, such as school mottos, national and state mottos, heraldic mottos on a riband or scroll below a coat of arms, battle cries and organisational slogans; mottos are often in Latin or other classical languages, are formally adopted in some cases, and are distinguished from slogans by their durability and from maxims by their attachment to an identity.

What it is for: Expressing identity and principle.

It can be explain kinds and conventions; relay heraldic and official use; describe notable mottos; distinguish from related phrases.

Distinguishing features

Attached to an identity

Often classical language

Formal adoption

Heraldic placement

What it looks like

A phrase on a scroll, seal, badge or building.

How it is recognised

Phrase expressing a guiding principle of an identity

Heraldic, national, state, school and organisational mottos, battle cries

A slogan is for campaigns; a maxim is a general rule; a tagline is commercial

Related models

is a kind of - in registry terms

phrase

is a kind of - in registry terms

saying

is displayed on - in heraldry

coat of arms

is contrasted with - a campaign phrase

slogan

In practice

Families and kinds

heraldic mottos on ribands

national mottos

US state and other regional mottos

school and university mottos

military unit mottos and battle cries

organisational and family mottos

personal mottos

Standards and regulation

Heraldic authority rules on mottos

Laws adopting national and state mottos

No regulation of informal mottos

Failure modes and hazards

Misattributed or mistranslated mottos

Confusing mottos with slogans

Contested national mottos

Also called

slogan cancelmoral principleribandschool mottobattle cryU.S. state mottopay-offheraldic mottoScout Mottonational mottosloganGridoD'Annunzian mottoesVote or loseRoyal mottos of Danish monarchsunofficial mottos of Polandcry of armsheraldic war cryUranFeminist slogantaglinefood industry advertising sloganinstitutional slogansLGBTQ slogansmottos for the resolve of the people

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Understand What a motto is.

Definition.

Definition

Definition and kinds.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is a motto, and what kinds exist? definition
  2. Is the phrase a motto, a slogan, a maxim or a battle cry? boundary

Heraldry

Heraldic mottos.

Heraldry

Heraldry.

  1. How are mottos placed on ribands and regulated in heraldry? definition
  2. Which entry fits heraldry? action
Examples Notable mottos.

Sources.

National

National and state mottos.

National

National.

  1. What are notable national and state mottos, and how were they adopted, with sources? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the specific motto? action

Institutions

School and organisational mottos.

Institutions

Institutions.

  1. What mottos do schools, universities and military units use, and what do they mean? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance
Language Language and translation.

Practice.

Latin

Classical languages.

Latin

Latin.

  1. Why are mottos often in Latin, and how are they translated accurately? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Writing

Writing a motto.

Writing

Writing.

  1. What conventions guide composing a motto for an organisation? provenance
  2. Which entry fits organisational identity? action
Context History and debates.

Context.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did mottos develop from medieval heraldry and war cries? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the history of heraldry? action

Debates

Contested mottos.

Debates

Debates.

  1. What debates surround national mottos, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary

What the second pass must settle

  • Should national motto and heraldic motto be separate entries?
  • How should heraldic sources be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases mixing heraldic parts and unrelated terms; should they be split off?