Wordorigins.org

Wordorigins.org is devoted to the origins of words and phrases, or as a linguist would put it, to etymology. Etymology is the study of word origins. (It is not the study of insects; that is entomology.) Where words come from is a fascinating subject, full of folklore and historical lessons. Often, popular tales of a word’s origin arise. Sometimes these are true; more often they are not. While it can be disappointing when a neat little tale turns out to be untrue, almost invariably the true origin is just as interesting.

Wilton, D. (2004). Word myths: debunking linguistic urban legends. New York, Oxford University Press.

Did you ever think that Ring Around The Rosie makes reference to the Black Death of the Middle Ages? Or that the whole nine yards refers to the length of a machinegun ammo belt? Or perhaps that Eskimos have 500 words for snow? If so, then you have been taken in by a linguistic urban legend. Like classic urban legends, these linguistic legends are popular and pervasive. Instead of propagating cautionary tales about the dangers of modern life, linguistic urban folklore propagates stories and “facts” about language.

Grant Barrett, over at The Lexicographer’s Rules has an article on what criteria to use when buying a dictionary.

His comment on etymology makes me a bit uncomfortable. Although he’s right that etymology is not an absolute requirement for most everyday uses. If you’re going to invest $30+ for a good dictionary that will last you several years, you should get one with etymologies. Chances are, you will want to look up a word’s origins at some point.

And note that his criteria apply equally well to evaluating online dictionaries.

Crystal, David. (2008). Think on my words: exploring Shakespeare’s language. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

Linguist David Crystal provides a thorough overview of Shakespeare’s English in this book aimed at the lay reader. Accessible and easy to read, Think On My Words is suitable for both classroom use and casual reading.

In the first chapter, Crystal debunks several common myths about Shakespeare’s contribution to the language, including:

• whether Shakespearian English is still spoken in some rural, backwoods regions
• whether or not Shakespeare used an extraordinary number of words
• whether or not Shakespeare coined an extraordinary number of words
• whether his works need to be “translated” to be understood by a modern reader
• whether or not he had a distinctive style.

The next chapter addresses the early manuscripts and folios, fundamental to any scholarly understanding of his works and language. Subsequent chapters address Shakespeare’s writing and spelling, punctuation, phonology and pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and conversational styles and meter.

Crystal is one of the most prolific writers on linguistics publishing today and his special gift is making the subject easily understandable to the lay reader and beginning student. His research is top-notch and his prose is fun to read. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to understand the basics of Shakespearian language.

The Oxford English Dictionary has released its quarterly update for this Spring and it’s different than past updates. To date, the updates for the new, third edition have proceeded alphabetically starting with the letter M. By that schedule, this update should have covered from quits to somewhere in the letter R. But instead, this time around the editors chose to update selected words from throughout the alphabet, plus the words that surround these selections. These selections include American, and, climate, compute, fuck, gay, genetics, and love. The words were selected because they have undergone significant change since they were last revised, with additional meanings and forms, or because they have complex semantic, syntactic, or etymological issues that need new explication.

Next quarter will pick up with quits and each subsequent quarter will alternate between an alphabetical range and an updating of select words. This will allow the editors more flexibility in updating those words that are seeing rapid change in modern English and will make the OED a more useful reference.

Editor John Simpson’s complete explanation of the update can be found here.