A manual in modern Russian is a polysemantic term that finds its application in a wide variety of areas of human activity. In this case, however, one of its meanings is the most common.
Manual is a Russified term resulting from the transcription of the English word "manual". It, in turn, has two main meanings. As an adjective it can be translated as "manual", as a noun - "instruction".
The main meaning of the term
Actually, the translation of the English word "manual" as a noun is the basis for the most common understanding of this term in Russian. As a rule, it denotes a user's manual or instructions for the use of a particular item. Moreover, this term is most often used in relation to devices or apparatus, that is, items of a technical nature, the operation of which can be quite complex.
In this case, the concept of "manual" implies a sufficiently detailed instruction that is able to give answers to users' questions in most situations related to the operation of a device, apparatus, equipment or system. Often, the manual is performed in the form of a voluminous brochure in pocket format or A4 format, the text of which is created by a specialist in the design of the product in question - a technical writer. Such a brochure is often made in paper form, but in recent years, due to the proliferation of various electronic devices, electronic versions of manuals are becoming more common.
Since manuals often refer to the use of technically complex devices or devices, it is customary to supply such manuals with the necessary diagrams and tables that will provide the user with the opportunity to independently understand the parameters of the equipment used and operate it in the manner prescribed by the manufacturer.
Other meanings of the term
Another meaning of the term "manual" is widespread among people related to music. It is used to refer to the organ keyboard used to perform musical works with the hands. At the same time, the meaningful meaning of this word has the same roots as the previous meaning: experts in the field of linguistics argue that it comes from the Latin word "manus", which means "hand".
Finally, one more specific meaning of this term has its circulation among people who are fond of extreme sports. For them, it means a special way of skateboarding, in which instead of the four wheels provided for by the design of this projectile, only two of them are used to move on the surface.
