The Star-Spangled Banner
7
3.7
- proper noun
- /ðə stɑrˈspæŋɡəld ˈbænər/
- Formal
:
The Star-Spangled Banner
- Please rise for The Star-Spangled Banner.
- lyrics to The Star-Spangled Banner
- playing The Star-Spangled Banner
They all know the words to Born in the USA, Thank you, the Star Spangled Banner.
- They all know the words to Born in the USA, Thank you, the Star Spangled Banner.
Examples
-
The band struck up "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Fiction book (1991) -
We grew up waving flags, pledging allegiance, and singing the Star-Spangled Banner.
Blog text (12) -
Then I heard "The Star-Spangled Banner" playing on TV.
Fiction book (1991) -
I cry every time I hear the Star-Spangled Banner.
Blog text (31) -
The nationwide community sing of "The Star-Spangled Banner" will be at 9 a.m. local time on Tuesday, September 14.
Academic text (2010) -
The Star Spangled Banner was turning 200 years old that year, 2014, on September 14th.
-
I teared up during the Star-Spangled Banner.
Blog text (30) -
"The Star-Spangled Banner" celebrates its 194th birthday on September 14.
Academic text (2008) -
In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star-Spangled Banner" after witnessing American forces defend Fort McHenry from the attack of British troops.
Academic text (2008) -
Please rise for The Star-Spangled Banner.
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + Star-Spangled + banner
Literally, 'star-spangled banner' describes a banner (flag) covered with stars, so the constituent meanings are partly informative. However, the established meaning 'the national anthem of the United States' relies on historical and cultural knowledge (a poem about that flag set to music), which a B1 learner who only knows the word meanings would not reliably infer. Because the phrase links transparently to a literal flag but requires extra cultural/metonymic knowledge to mean 'national anthem', it is best classified as semi-transparent.
Etymology
The Star-Spangled Banner comes from a moment in the War of 1812 when Francis Scott Key saw the American flag, a banner covered in stars and called star-spangled, still flying after a hard battle. He wrote a poem about that sight which later became the U.S. 'anthem', so the title now means the country's national song.