Volk (English spelling)

Japanese: フォルク（英語表記）Volk

A German word meaning nation, nation, people, or people. In the historical transition of Germany since the 18th century, it has been used in various ways by political camps and thinkers. In the early modern period, it was used as a derogatory term for a group of soldiers or the lower classes of the people. At the end of the 18th century, Herder gave the word the meaning of a cultural community with a unique individuality that had arisen historically based on a common language, as opposed to the nation based on the idea of universal citizenship advocated by the ideals of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, and elevated it to a word closer to the present-day nation.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

ドイツ語で民族，国民，民衆，人民を意味する言葉。18世紀以来のドイツの歴史的変遷のなかで，政治陣営や思想家によってさまざまに使い分けられてきた。　近世では兵士集団や下層民衆を指す蔑称として使われた。18世紀末ヘルダーはこの言葉に，啓蒙主義やフランス革命の理念で主張された普遍的市民観にたつ国民とは異なる，共通の言語を基礎に歴史的に生成した，特有の個性を持つ文化共同体，との内容を与え，現在の民族に近い語に昇格させた。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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