What is the difference between motive and motif

I'm finding people here and elsewhere talking about musical "motives" e. It sounds weird to me as I am more familiar with "motif". This comment seems weird because I keep seeing "motive" used, Search for "musical motive" and you'll get a lot of examples.

So, are these two considered interchangeable, not just by the dictionary, but by actual usage among musicians? Is either preferred? The results are quite different if I search for "art motif' M vs. Join Composers' Forum.

These terms are basically interchangeable. It's easy to get distracted by slight differences, in terminology, or word usage. The words motive and motif are almost identical, phonologically speaking with the last consonant being voiced in the first instance, and voiceless in the second; and the accent on the first syllable in the word "motive" and on the second in "motif. One could argue a preference for the term motif, since it is more "art specific" or "music specific.

It's easy to get distracted by slight differences in terminology or word usage. The words motive and motif are almost identical, phonologically and morphologically speaking with the last consonant being voiced in the first instance, and voiceless in the second; and the accent on the first syllable in the word "motive" and on the second in "motif.

One could argue a preference for the term "motif," since it is more "art specific" or "music specific. Just like when people ask is it flutist or flautist, but in reality we just call them flute players or "the flutes. This might be a gross and unsubstantiated generalization, or kind of reverse "snobbism" typical of some Americans, who not realizing that many Europeans freely use the term motif mistakenly think this way:. Let's ratchet this down—I know there are some crazy political things going on in the US, but this is just about "motif" vs.

It also appears that, except in the world of music, "motive" is usually used to imply "a reason for an action" and "motif" is a "pattern or idea". In art, using "motive" for "motif" would be considered similar to confusing "their" and "there". In music, as far as I can tell, the two terms appear to be used synonymously to imply a "pattern or idea". You, my friend, have so much hate in your heart for America that it spills out in every posts on this forum.

Hello, Rodney. I consider you a friend also, in spite of our occasional misunderstandings and amicable clashes on certain issues. The difference between Motif and Motive When used as nouns , motif means a recurring or dominant element, whereas motive means an idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources. Motif as a noun : A recurring or dominant element; a theme. Examples: "See how the artist repeats the scroll motif throughout the work?

Motive as a noun obsolete : An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting. Examples: "synonyms: motivation". Examples: "rfquotek Shakespeare". Examples: "What would his motive be for burning down the cottage? I would call Zaroff the round and static character. He is a round character, because there is significant detail in the story that explains to the reader how he became the man that he is when the reader finally meets him.

One could also categorize General Zaroff as a static character because he does not experience a change by the end of the story. Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Arts What is the difference between a motive and a theme?

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