Folk etymology

Folk etymology (from [English] “folk” and Greek etymología -ἐτυμολογία- ‘true or original sense of a word) is defined as a change in the form and /or meaning of a word, which results from the incorrect assumption that it has a certain etymological origin. This supposition is triggered by some associations of form or meaning between the changing word, unfamiliar to the speakers, and a more familiar term.

Content

Explanation

Related concepts

Basic bibliography

Complementary bibliography

Explanation

In historical linguistics, folk etymology is usually described as a type of false analogy, which alters the form or meaning of an unfamiliar term so as to reflect the connection that speakers think that exists between it and a better-known or better-understood word. As a result, the target expression begins to be spelt, pronounced or used in a manner that is consistent with the false etymological origin that speakers ascribe to it.This phenomenon, therefore, can be interpreted as anattempt at de-obscuring words that speakers feel to be opaquebecause they are not used to their form, pronunciation or meaning.

Folk etymological changes usually affect borrowings and old compounds whose morphological constituents have become obscure throughout of time. Chaise lounge, for example, was borrowed from French (chaise longue "long chair"). The first word being pronounced like chase in English did not underwent changes but the final element of the borrowing was replaced with a more recognizable English word, lounge, whose spelling was similar to that of the original French word and was semantically plausible, since a chaise longue is intended to lounge.

Femaleis another clear case of a folketymologised loanword. In the 12^th century, English borrowed the word femelle from French, which was a diminutive of femme “young woman”.  Two centuries later English speakers, unfamiliar with suffix –elle, altered its spelling by assuming a connection with the word male, which seems to have been reinforced by the fact that both words, femelle and male, used to appear in contrast; and by the existing parallelism with mann ‘man’ and wim+man ‘woman’

As regards as native compounds, among those that have become opaque and have undergone transformations triggered by misconceptions concerning their etymological origin are words such as bridegroom and hamburger. The former derives from Old English brydguma"suitor” (from bryd "bride" + guma "man”), which evolved into bridegome during the Middle English period. However, by the 16^th century an intrusive ‘r’ was inserted in the second morpheme and the word developed into bridegrome or bridegroom — the other alternations correspond to general spelling conventions. This change seems to have been motivated by the influence of the word groom “young man”, “servant”, a term more familiar than gome to the Middle English speakers. In the case of hamburger (from Hamburg-er “native of Hamburg”), the association with the word ham “cured meat” due to phonetic and graphemic resemblances, led to the insertion of a new morphological boundary: ham- burger and, in turn, to new creations, such as the blends cheeseburger or fishburger, where burger has come to mean “bun”.

All in all, as stated by Malkiel, folk etymology refers to a complete absorption, on associative grounds, of one lexical unit by another more frequently used or better protected. For this phenomenon to be successful, the assumed etymology must be shared by a large number of speakers after its initial development by some individual.

Related concepts

Analogy

Etymology

Opaque

Blend

Basic bibliography

Algeo, J. - Pyles, T. (2004), "The Origins and Development of the English Language", 5^th, Wadsworth Publishing.

Campbell, L. (2004), Historical Linguistics: An Introduction, 2^nd ed, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press.

Campbell, L. -  Mixco, M. (2007 ), Glossary of Historical Linguistics, Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press.

Coleman, J. - KAY, J., eds. (2004). Lexicology, semantics and lexicography, BN by N. S, Dash, 80, 2, 341–42.

Mish, Frederick C., ed. (1991), The Merriam-Webster New Book of Word Histories, Springfield, Mass., Merriam-Webster.

Complementary bibliography

Malkiel, Y. (1954), ‘Etymology and historical grammar’. Romance Philology 8–1955, 187–208.

Hock, H. (1991), Principles of Historical Linguistics, Berlin and New York, Mouton de Gruyter.

Keller, Rudi (1994), On Language Change. The Invisible Hand in Language, London and NewYork, Routledge.