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the study suggests that the term kinanthropology is the most content suitable,
and that the subject of its interest is human movement in the environment of
movement culture. The given cultural subsystem can be perceived as space for
the authentic existence of human being in sports, movement education, move-
ment recreation, movement therapy, and movement art. The classification of
a specific movement activity in the stated categories is based on its meaning,
purpose, and main objective.
Introduction
The debate and discussion over the most appropriate name for the theo-
retical field dealing with human movement and its cultivation seem to be
a something of never-ending story. While it is difficult to imagine that previ-
ously unknown arguments could still appear, opposing parties nevertheless
adamantly insist on their positions.
In the following text I would like to point out two major flaws in the
existing discussions and suggest another umbrella term which is definitely not
the centre of attention. The first misconception I have noticed in the clash
of arguments is the disrespect for various levels of reality and their linguistic
description through theoretical generalization. I sense a second flaw in the
rather weak respect for the actual meaning of individual words. But as the
old Latin proverb claims: nomen omen. That is, the word itself, its name
1
The study arrows with support of the MSMT research intention, id. MSM 61989221 Movement
activities and inactivities of the Czech Republic population in the context of behavioral changes .
Ivo Jirásek
60
(nomen) carries within itself its own meaning, purpose, and content (omen).
The following is a closer look at these two transgressions in the professional
discourse.
The diversification of labels and their communicative value
There is too much differentiation in the various terms used to identify
the field. The diversification of the names is almost astounding: there are ap-
parently nearly seventy labels for the given field (Newell, 1990a, 269), more
than a hundred various terms (Blahua, 1993, 73), and 114 various names
for academic departments engaged in the advancement of the field (Newell,
1990b, 242). One positive facet of this terminological diversity is the fact
that the high variation of terms demonstrates the intense interest in the field
dealing with human movement and the development of the discipline with
diverse approaches. However, it is readily apparent that such terminological
diversity significantly complicates professional communication.
In the USA the long-used term physical education employed for the prac-
tical field as well as for the academic theoretical discipline clearly created
a schism that complicated the unambiguous differentiation between practical
activity and theoretical reflection. This led the American Academy of Physical
Education commission in 1974 to recommend the use of kinesiology to
distinguish the scientific discipline from the school subject (Blahua, 1994, 6;
Blahua, 1993, 73). Nevertheless, it is interesting that this often preferred term
was in second place among those that had been recommended. The first choice
was the term human phyactology, which, however, has not gained a sufficient
degree of popularity and it seems unlikely that it will in the near future (New-
ell, 1990a, 276). Slowikowski & Newell (1990) offer a detailed analysis of the
use of the term kinesiology: the term probably emerged in the 19th century
and we can follow its first use from the beginning of the 20th century in the
understanding of the gymnastics system and muscle analysis during movement
activity. In the 1940 s and 1950 s the term starts to appear in the names of
university departments; in 1960 s and 1970 s the term is widely used within
the academic community. Nevertheless, it is by far not the only term and is
definitely not generally accepted. A frequently used term is sport in numerous
combinations, for example, sport sciences. In Central Europe the term sciences
of physical culture was used with its preferred systematic conception.
On the basis of selected information from the professional literature
(Blahua et al., 1993; Haag, 1979; Hoaek et al. 1992; Kasa & Havlí ek, 1994;
Komeatík, 1999; Ojeme, 1990; Renson, 1990; Starosta, 2001; Willimczik,
1983) we can attempt to produce an overall summary of the selected terms
Nomen omen: Kinanthropology vs. Kinesiology
61
relating to the field studying human movement in various connections and
contexts (Table 1). The criteria for semantic precision will be the relation-
ship of the general and concrete, i.e. the integration of the given term in the
anthropological context.
Table 1. Naming the fields involved in human movement and its cultivation
Semantically precise
Narrower terminology Broader terminology
terminology
Human movement science/s Kinesiology Kinanthropology
Science of man in motion Sciences of physical culture Gymnology
Physical activity science/s Motorics Human movement studies
Science of motor action Kinesics Homokinetics
Isokinetics2 Motology Human kinetics
Somatomotorics Movement science/s Human kinesiology
Exercise science/s Motor science/s Anthropokinetics
Sport science/s Kinetics Anthropomotorics3
Sport studies Biokinetics Human motorics
Sport motorics Kinetics theory Kinesiological anthropology
Anthropomaximology Physical activity studies
Human Performance
Gymnicology (theory of physical
exercise)
Sport and physical education
Physical education
Theory of teaching physical
education
Before we focus on the weight of the arguments during specific selec-
tion and a closer investigation of several of these, we must concentrate on
the extremely serious flaw during superficial linguistic analysis, which leads
to a lack of consideration for the various levels of reality and their linguistic
appreciation.
2
Used in the sense of sport rehabilitation.
3
In this category we naturally have in mind the semantic use of the word and not its specific
meaning in the form of the theory of physical exercise , as became common in Central European
cultural contexts.
Ivo Jirásek
62
Reality and the description thereof
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