Wordorigins.org

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

The paperback version of Word Myths is available.

Or click here if you want the hardcover version.

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.

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.

I’ve disabled the comments feature here on the main wordorigins.org site. The comments had simply become a way for spammers to get their message through. The signal to noise ratio was somewhere around 1:100 and I simply don’t have time to hunt down the individual spam posts and kill them.

If you wish to comment on one of the posts here in the main site, please use the discussion forum.

Crystal, David (2008). txtng: the gr8 db8. Oxford, Oxford University Press.

Linguist David Crystal is one of the most prolific writers about language for general audiences. You’ll see several of his books listed on these pages. In txtng, Crystal takes on the question of what effects text messaging is having on literacy. Will texting destroy a generation’s ability to write a coherent English sentence? Crystal’s answer is a resounding “no” and along the way debunks much of the conventional wisdom about texting.

Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends was published in 2004. Since then, there have been a number of advances in scholarship regarding the myths and terms detailed in that book. This page is your guide to the latest information and research since that book’s publication.

Further evidence supporting or refuting the conclusions of the book have been found for:

• Dixie: Solid evidence of the pre-war existence of the New York children’s game called Dixie’s Land has been found. The game definitely antedates the Civil War and Emmett’s song.

Earlier citations of use have been found for:

• the whole nine yards