LINGUIST List 5.20

Tue 04 Jan 2094

Sum: Folk Etymology

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1. Reinier Post, Sum: folk etymology

Last month, I posed to LINGUIST the following question:

>Is there any study which treats folk etymology as an interesting phenomenon
>in its own right? I am asking this question on behalf of someone who is doing
>linguistic investigations in which reanalysis plays an important role.

Many thanks to all who responded. Your answers and comments are very helpful.
A summary of references, in no particular order:

J.L. Malone (1969) Rules of synchronic analogy. Foundations
of Language 5, 534-59.

O. Panagl (1982) Aspekte der Volksetymologie. Innsbruck:
Institut fuer Sprachwissenschaft.

R. Coates (1987) Pragmatic sources of analogical reformation.
Journal of Linguistics 23, 319-40.

V. Pisani (1960) Ueber Volksetymologie. Studii s,i Cercetari
Lingvistice 11, 633-43.

W. Winter (1969) Analogischer Sprachwandel und semantische
Struktur. Folia Linguistica 3, 29-45.

H. Gundersen (1993) Linjedansere og pantomine pe sirkhus. Folkeetymologi som
morfologisk omtolking. University of Oslo: Department of Scandinavian Studies
and Comparative Literature.

K. Baldinger (1973) Zum Einfluss der Sprache auf die Vorstellungen des
Menschen (Volksetymologie und Semantische Parallelverschiebung).
Sitzungsberichte der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Philosophisch-Historische Klasse. Heidelberg.

J. Kjederqvist (1902) Lautlich-begriffliche wortassimilationen. Zur
halbhundertjdhrigen geschichte des begriffs der volksetymologie. Beitrdge
zur Geschichte der Deutschen Sprache und Literatur.

W. Sanders (1971, 1972, 1975) Zur deutschen Volksetymologie. (3 parts)
Niederdeutsches Wort.

W. Wundt (1911) Vvlkerpsychologie. Eine Untersuchung der Entwicklungsgesetze
von Sprache, Mythus und Sitte I. (3rd edn.) Leipzig.

P. Knutsson (1993) Folk Etymology - paronomasia vs prescription.
Islenskt mal vol 19, Institute of Linguistics, University of Iceland,
101 Reykjavik.

M. Schreiner (1987) Bibliographie zur Volksetymologie.
Available from Nodus Publikationen, Muenster, ISBN 3-89323-011-4.

J. Fidelholtz (1978?) English stress as folk etymology. International
Congress of Linguists, Vienna.

A. Smythe Palmer (1904) The Folk and Their Word Lore.
NY: ??

In addition, the following general works were suggested:

O. Jespersen (1922) Language, its nature, development and origin.
London: Allen & Unwin.

?. Anttila (1972) An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics.
NY: MacMillan.

--
Reinier Post reinpostwin.tue.nl
Eindhoven, the Netherlands