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Standard-bearer

Standard-bearer is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Standard-bearer rather than just read about it. In short: A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer, flag-bearer or banner-carrier, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, military unit, etc. This can either be an occasional duty, often seen as an honour (especially on parade), or a permanent…

Standard-bearer — main illustration
Standard-bearer — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Standard-bearer belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Standard-bearer to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Standard-bearer from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer, flag-bearer or banner-carrier, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, military unit, etc. This can either be an occasional duty, often seen as an honour (especially on parade), or a permanent charge (also on the battlefield); the second type has even led in certain cases to this task being reflected in official rank titles such as Chorąży, Ensign, Cornet, Fähnrich and Alferes/Alférez.

Role In the context of the Olympic Games, a flagbearer is the athlete who carries the flag of their country during the opening and closing ceremonies. While at present a purely ceremonial function, as far back as Roman warfare and medieval warfare bearing the standard had an important role on the battlefield. The standard-bearer acted as an indicator of where the position of a military unit was, with the bright, colourful standard or flag acting as a strong visual beacon to surrounding soldiers. Soldiers were typically ordered to follow and stay close to the standard or flag in order to maintain unit cohesion, and for a single commander to easily position his troops by only positioning his standard-bearer, typically with the aid of musical cues or loud verbal commands. It was an honorable position carrying a considerable risk, as a standard-bearer would be a major target for the opposing side's troops seeking to capture the standard or pull it down. In the Roman military the person carrying the standard was called Signifer. In addition to carrying the signum, the signifer also assumed responsibility for the financial administration of the unit and functioned as the legionaries' banker. The Signifer was also a Duplicarius, paid twice the basic wage. In the city militias of the Dutch Republic, the standard-bearer was often the youngest single man, who was shown in group portraits wearing rich clothing in addition to carrying the flag. Chosen ensigns were good candidates for painters to woo with their portrait skills. Gonfaloniere of Justice (Gonfaloniere di Giustizia) (literally: "Standard Bearer of Justice" was a post in the government of medieval and early Renaissance Florence.

See also

Colour guard Historical colours, standards and guidons Regulation Colours

References

External links Media related to Standard-bearer at Wikimedia Commons The dictionary definition of standard-bearer at Wiktionary

Illustrations

Standard-bearer: A lieutenant of the Coldstream Guards bears the Regimental Colours during an inspection of No. 7 Company, prior to the start of the ceremonial season.
A lieutenant of the Coldstream Guards bears the Regimental Colours during an inspection of No. 7 Company, prior to the start of the ceremonial season.
Standard-bearer: 17th-century copy by Gerrit Lundens of The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch aka The Night Watch with lines added indicating the areas cut down from the original painting in 1715
17th-century copy by Gerrit Lundens of The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch aka The Night Watch with lines added indicating the areas cut down from the original painting in 1715
Standard-bearer: Mitrofan Grekov (1934), Trumpeter and standard-bearer in the Russian Civil War.
Mitrofan Grekov (1934), Trumpeter and standard-bearer in the Russian Civil War.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Standard-bearer

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Standard-bearer claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Standard-bearer before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Standard-bearer ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Standard-bearer

In research
Standard-bearer appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Standard-bearer in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Standard-bearer is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Combat occupations, Combat occupations of the late modern period, Flags, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Standard-bearer outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Standard-bearer in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Standard-bearer means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Standard-bearer out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Standard-bearer in simple terms?

A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer, flag-bearer or banner-carrier, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, m…

Why does Standard-bearer matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Standard-bearer?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Standard-bearer.

Tags

  • Combat occupations
  • Combat occupations of the late modern period
  • Flags

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