Dictionaries say that in linguistics, folk etymology is a false representation and association due to colloquial forms of words. Over time, it is fixed in the classical language used to create literature. Often redone, reinterpreted loan words. Somewhat less often, such transformations undergo their own. Consider this topic in more detail.
What is it about?
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of etymology for the development of the language, its structure and variety of words available to the speaker in the dialect. Alteration of words within the framework of the phenomenon under consideration takes into account the existing sample. At the same time, the format of the alteration comes from some native word, and it is transformed more often from other dialects. Very often, these two words have nothing in common with aspects of origin. The classic examples of such a false etymology are the pairs of words microscope-small microscope, gulvar-boulevard. An interesting example is the word “speculator”, which was transformed in everyday speech thanks to the verb “buy up”. In a dialect, you can, as a consequence, hear the word "skupilant." No less revealing is the example of the word "palisade", which came to our language from French and originally designated a picket fence or hedge, including one made from living plants. Under the influence of linguistic features, a new colloquial word “half-garden” appeared.
A rather typical example of folk etymology is the phrase “raspberry ringing”. It is used when they want to describe the ringing of bells, which sounds harmoniously, pleasing to the human ear. The combination of the word gives rise to associations with berries. In fact, the roots of the expression are completely different. In Belgium there is the city of Mehlen, in another reading - Malin. In it, in the old days, a beautiful cathedral was erected and an educational institution was opened at it for ringers. These people are trained to create beautiful, pleasant ear music with the help of bells. So appeared Malinovskie musicians. The development of the topic was the phrase "raspberry ringing."
Vernacular - and not only
According to experienced linguists, examples of folk etymology can be seen in specialized scientific works. Similar conclusions can be found in materials published by Professor Otkupschikov. He analyzed how in the 18th century the philologist Trediakovsky wrote a work in which he examined the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula. As the linguist drew attention, it is likely that the name of this people (Iberians) came from the word "upers", somewhat distorted over the centuries. Such a word could come from the fact that geographically they lived surrounded by water from all sides - as if they were stubborn by the seas.
Trediakovsky in his work also suggested that Britain is a word that also has a similar origin. Perhaps the original sound was “Brotherhood,” which has its roots in the word “brother.” A word similar in terms of the use of folk etymology is “Scythians”. It was explained by Trediakovsky through the verb "wander". In his opinion, originally the nationality was called “hermitages”. According to his logic, the Turks are so named, because it is a transformation of the word "yurki", meaning that such people are quick, agile. All these examples are typical colloquial etymology, which became an academic science and was taken seriously by the philological community.
The science? True?
The listed words having folk etymology have other real roots. These examples, although perceived as academic science, were in their infancy in the 18th century, during the period when Trediakovsky worked, the scientific field in our country, especially in the field of linguistics. According to modern scholars of the time, it is difficult to blame Trediakovsky for inaccuracies. Moreover, it cannot be said that it was too strongly influenced by the vernacular forms and changes of words under the influence of a non-literary language. The main reason for his mistakes was the fact that etymology as a science in the 18th century did not actually exist in our country. Accordingly, anyone who tried to plunge into this area could just fantasize without any restrictions. It was enough only to publish his work in a certain form so that it was perceived by contemporaries as scientific and trustworthy. And so there appeared amazing opuses, which to a modern educated person often seem devoid of logic and meaning.
Is it possible to draw conclusions?
The situation described by Otkupschikov with the problems of linguistics and philology allowed this professor to assume that the use of the term “folk etymology” in Russian is incorrect. The author proposed to consider the phrase as chosen unsuccessfully, since it shows disregard for the masses. From the point of view of Otkupshchikov, this is completely unfair, since ordinary people for many centuries were not only far from science, but also did not have the opportunity to get closer to it, which means that they cannot be blamed for the lack of academic knowledge. In addition, many terms that relate to the phenomenon under consideration did not even appear in the midst of ordinary people. This argument is considered as the main and most important among those formulated by Otkupschikov.
Some experts in the field of linguistics prefer to use "false etymology." Popular and false are essentially the same phenomenon, but encoded in different terms. An alternative is naive. However, according to others, both options are even less consistent with the issue under consideration. Naive is not always false, naivety is a property inherent in scientific etymology, although not always. Popular, in turn, is almost always false, but not every false format is popular. Accordingly, as the Conclusioners concluded, it is impossible to replace these terms with one another.
Is it possible to determine more precisely?
Since linguistics is actively developing, methods of scientific etymology, the phenomenon of folk etymology today attract the attention of many experienced scientists. This is not the first year that experts in this field will reflect on the selection of the most accurate and correct definition that would replace the word "folk." The etymology is well illustrated by numerous examples published in reference books, scientific literature, manuals for the study of our language. Here you can see specimens related to the folk form of etymology. They are often called a childish, erroneous form. Words similar in sound in different sources are described in different terms. Differing in nature linguistic facts, however, can be equated with each other. To eliminate this confusion, according to scientists, it is necessary to thoroughly revise the terms, clarify the meanings of the selected words, define concepts.
It is not easy to describe and characterize the phenomenon of folk etymology using methods of scientific etymology. The boundaries of such a false etymology as a specific phenomenon inherent in a certain language are rather blurred. For the first time, the term in question was used by Ferssman. Today, the phrase is used to describe diverse linguistic phenomena. This includes phonetic corrections - assi-, dissimilation, and others. Paronymy, homophony are also included here. It can be noted in specialized scientific papers that such confusion is characteristic of the opinion of both Otkupshchikov, and Maximov, as well as Gelgardt. Similar lines of opinions were voiced in their linguistic works by Krushevsky, Derzhavin, Thomson.
Interpretation: what do we choose from?
In his works on scientific and folk etymology, Otkupschikov was engaged in collecting various versions of terms and definitions in order to determine the most successful version of the formulation of the essence of the phenomenon based on the largest possible amount of information. He spoke more than once about the possibility of different interpretations of a single term. The definitions that he identified in the various analyzed works of various authors are allowed, as noted by the Buyers, to be combined so as to create key definitions that are further applicable in scientific practice.
We can say that from the scientific point of view, folk etymology is a variant of understanding individual words whose morphology is unclear and unobvious. It is possible if the word does not have simple, semitiological associations. This version of the wording was proposed by Courtenay, supported by Akhmanov. Thomson, Maruso, and some other authors have proposed defining false etymology as a process in which a single word in the human mind is associated with others, as if giving it an explanation. Bulakhovsky formulated understanding as an interpretation of meanings in the form in which they arise in the human mind, if a person does not have specialized training in the field of science. Such a person is compelled to comprehend the word, creating individually independent associations to it.
Dictionaries and more
Before they engage in the folk etymology of Bulygin and Shmelev in 1999, their own version of the interpretation of this phrase will be published in a dictionary compiled under the guidance of editor Ushakov. The interpretation presented here is significantly different from everything formulated earlier, although it has certain typical features. Such definitions were subsequently used by Rosenthal. The considered type of etymology is supposed to denote the processes of change, rethinking, taken from a foreign language, much less often inherent in their own language words. At the same time, words that sound similar, but are in the native language, are taken as a sample. False etymology involves the formation of semantic relationships based on external attributes and the coincidence of sounds. This process proceeds without any attention to factual reality and true origin.
The specified definition is the first in which children's and folk etymologies are considered as a phenomenon in which the word is redone. As modern linguists, philologists say, it is alteration that is the main, key characteristic quality of false etymology. However, both the term and its interpretation cause a lot of controversy since the 19th century. Many scholars consider the phrase chosen to designate the phenomenon to be extremely unsuccessful, but its use is enshrined in tradition. Today it is not just a folk version of etymology, but also morphological, phonetic, semantic corrections of a certain word.
Additional terminology
In the field of linguistics, there are several specific terms that are used in parallel with the subject and supplement it, specify, in some cases, replace it. Gelgard, in particular, in his works proved that it is necessary to say “false etymology”, since this is a more successful option. At the same time, the scientist recognized the existence of an internal contradiction inherent in this phrase.
Krushevsky and Courtenay, some other authors can see the term "folk production." However, this definition is not particularly widespread. As many experts in the field of linguistics believe, this phrase best reflects the essence and idea, gives an understanding of the internal form of the word, de-etymologization, folk etymology. Courtenay also proposed to designate the phenomenon under consideration as seismological assimilation.
In Lotte, one can see the term “conceptualization”. Explaining his choice, the scientist says that such a phenomenon in the literature on linguistics is often characterized as an etymology due to the popular, colloquial language. In Maruso, one can see a fixation under this term for a phenomenon that other experts call a paronymic attraction. But this phrase is used much less often and it is not widely used. Akhmanova can see a dictionary entry that equates these two phrases with each other. The attraction is obvious, but the phenomenon of paronymy is doubtful for many. There are suggestions that in the case of the etymology under consideration, other lexical transformations take place.
The phenomenon - and what's inside?
Folk etymology (Germany, Russia and in countries) is a difficult phenomenon that can be considered as several types of linguistic transformations, combined into one phenomenon. Derzhavin can see the conclusion that there are three types of this variant of etymology. Scientists have been trying for decades to create a classification system applicable to words whose appearance is due to such a linguistic phenomenon. Based on Derzhavin’s categories, the first type is a simple apperception of a word coming from another language. At the same time, it is processed in such a way as to become closer, more like words characteristic of the native local language. That is exactly how the gulvars and the merchants appeared.
The next area of folk etymology is words that come from a foreign language, in which morphology is corrected, phonetics change, semantics are transformed. Derzhavin, describing this type, suggested considering a front garden and a T-shirt, as well as catavasia. Such words can rightly be called one of the most striking examples.
The third type in the understanding of the scientist is genuine folk etymology, which shows the ability of the vernacular language to creativity, reflects its activity. Here he included words that demonstrate the ability of people to etymologize, explain alien, previously unknown, as well as inherent in their own language, but outdated. Derzhavin pointed out the main task of such a process as the need to describe the meaning of an obscure word.
Not so simple
The problems of terminology, the presence of heterogeneous phenomena and the lack of methods for distinguishing them, the mixing of various phenomena that are not interconnected, indicate the need for a reworking approach to the study of the topic. Scientists involved in this field drew attention to the fact that folk culture in its form is not similar to its academic counterpart. So, the singing of the common people in our country attracts attention with sound extraction. The sounds that are characteristic of such singing have nothing to do with a typical belcanto. A toy is not plastic at all, close to reality, but stylized objects for games. A fairy tale is not a reflection of the historical realities of a power, but literary creation. It is amazing how many examples of folk etymology can be found here. From the “Lefty”, for example, you can learn about the microscopes mentioned earlier, as well as the prelamut. There are other curious and funny words that can be found in this folklore: multiplication dolphin, nymphosoria, pupel.
A fairy tale is what?
From the dictionaries, you can find out that such a genre of creativity of a simple people, which has an epic character, an oral form, is called a folk tale. These are prosaic works in which they talk about invented events. Different countries have folklore, each has its own. The prose narrative includes various genres and numerous works, which are united by the fact that something fictitious is the basis of the text. Fairytale folklore is the opposite of a true story, that is, prose that is not a fairy tale.
The above examples of folk etymology in the tale “Left-handed” are attractive not only in the way they show the features of word formation and understanding of words by ordinary people. In addition, they give a certain idea of the tale itself and the genre to which it belongs.
A literary fairy tale is also an epic work, in many respects similar to that defined above. Such work is fiction-oriented, close to a folk tale, but has a specific author. Such a fairy tale has only one option; it did not exist verbally until the moment when this author wrote the work. Such a fairy tale is similar to folklore, it is written in a folk poetic style, but it can be didactic, based on a plot that is absent in folklore.
Folklore is a pioneer. Literary appears much later.
And if an analogy?
According to some experts in the field of linguistics, one could similarly approach the definition of what constitutes a folk etymology. Which we are considering today. , , , , . , , , . , – , , , .
However, if we recognize folk etymology as the sphere of creativity of ordinary people, this will automatically move it outside of science. Society simply cannot be aware of such activities as scientific, if it is called folk art. Etymology as a term means belonging to science, therefore, if a certain process cannot be considered inherent in science, then it is impossible to apply words to it that are used only strictly in the academic environment. It should be borne in mind that folk word production is a phenomenon aimed at phonetic development, semantic awareness, word formation. Persons involved in word production do not have the goal of reconstructing the history of a particular word and have never aspired to this.
Curious example
You can find examples of folk etymology in the German language. So, in ancient times, Slavic people in the territory of modern Germany founded the city, which was called Sagittarius. German phonetics requires you to read “c,” followed by “t,” like “w.” Accordingly, the word turned into "Strelets". In addition, in German, emphasis should be on the first syllable. This caused the transformation of the word in Strelitz. In the 18th century, the village burned down, it was rebuilt, adding the word "new" to the name. So the city of Neustrelitz appeared. For the Germans, the history of the word was not very important, they just applied language rules to it. Can such a case be considered folk etymology? And if possible, then which version of the interpretation of the term is applicable? Opinions differ on this point, but some consider this example quite indicative and curious.
Inflection
Quite curious is the folk etymology examined by Otkupshchikov with examples. In particular, an example of the appearance of the word "Kolomna" is used, which is used to designate a specific settlement. It is said that in ancient times, near this city, Dmitry Donskoy was blessed by Father Sergius, who then went to the village, but was expelled by a population that threatened the holy man with stakes. Then Sergius complained that he had come to them with good, and was greeted with a stake. So the name Kolomna appeared.
A similar story is with the name of the city of Samara. Legends say that there used to be a small river, it flowed from the east, and from the north a large river carried its waters to it. The big river demanded that the small one step aside, shouting to her, “After all, I am Ra!” The streams collided, but the small river won, and the big one changed its direction of running west. So there was “Sama Ra,” Samara, built in the bend of the river.