Wordorigins.org

Churl is a word that isn’t used much anymore, although you will see the adjective churlish from time to time in modern usage. It has a rather straightforward etymology and it’s primarily interesting for its usage in the Old English period, when it was a synonym for man.

These two words demonstrate the perils of reading too much into Indo-European roots and highlight how much we just don’t know about the Proto-Indo-European language (or languages). Book and beech, the type of tree, appear to be related, but traditional etymologies of the words are largely based on conjecture and we can’t even say for certain that they are, in fact, related.

Anglo-Saxon is the adjective given to the Germanic tribes that migrated to and conquered Britain in the 5th century. Later it took on the meaning of referring to England and the English people as a whole. The name comes from two of the tribes that made this migration.

The Angles are thought to be from an area of Holstein, in what is now northern Germany, known as the Angul, so-called because of its shape. The word comes from a common Germanic root meaning a hook or other bent object. The Angles bequeathed their name to England and the English.

Grant Barrett over at The Lexicographer’s Rules has an excellent and devastating review of Daniel Cassidy’s book How the Irish Invented Slang. I haven’t read the book (nor do I intend to), but I have encountered Cassidy’s work in the past. He is the epitome of bad scholarship and gives valuable lessons in exactly how not to conduct an intellectual inquiry.

The proximate cause for Grant’s review is a credulous article published in The New York Times that failed to ask anyone else in the field whether there was any merit to Cassidy’s work. Had the reporter done, or the editor insisted on, some basic research, then it would have become readily apparent that Cassidy is a crank. We expect better from the “paper of record.” If there is a reason that old, mainline media will be killed by bloggers and the internet, it’s articles like these. The advantage that newspapers have is their editorial staff and systems of review and fact checking. But if newspapers fail to take advantage of their strengths, then they will certainly die a swift and well-deserved death.

If you’re thinking about buying the book, read Grant’s review first.

Podcasting is new medium of sorts and there are several podcasts about language that are worth taking a look at. I say, “of sorts,” because at its heart podcasting isn’t much different from radio. The method of transmission is different and the barrier to entry has been significantly lowered—enabling almost anyone to create their own podcasts—but it’s still just an aural communication medium.

The following are some language-oriented podcasts that you should check out. All are free and all are available via iTunes, as well as separately through their websites.