FOLK - ETYMOLOGY: HOW TO MAKE WORDS WITH THEIR FALSE COUNTERPARTS

This paper aims towards an analysis of the process known as folk etymology which is considered to be an important source of linguistic invention and new word creation. This phenomenon is perceived as a creative process rather than a misinterpretation of the original word grounded on traditional speech. Investigation and critical study of folk etymology process gives us an opportunity to answer some questions dealing with the origin of words functioning in standard English language like the following: CANNIBAL, MOHAIR, COCKROACH, etc. This kind of word formation process includes word association links and analogy. We suggest this phenomenon to be included in all grammar books.


Introduction
Every language changes as long as it is spoken.The process known as folk etymology is one way, among many others, which shows how language changes.For the m ost part, these changes escape our attention as they occur.Although this phenomenon is usually considered to be m inor or irrelevant to 'serious' linguistic research, it shouldn't be neglected because o f the fact that m ultitude of words owe their present form, or present meaning to the influence exercised upon them by popular m isconception and modification.
This article aims to give a brief description of folk etymology or false etymology from linguistic point of view.Our projected plan is to m ake a sample o f words which have been modified under the influence o f false derivation, or have in some way been altered from their original form or m eaning by false analogy.It is our intention to point out phonetic and semantic changes which such words undergo.
In this study folk etymology is not seen as a corruption, but more as an enrichment of a language.Such words are assumed to be a part o f a creative use o f language.It m ight be said that people in speech communities very often distort their language, manipulating it to create new expressions.Folk etymology is often applied to loan words to m ake them resemble familiar, native words.The tendency to give strange words a familiar form has been so constantly at work that it has made the search for the true origin or etymology more difficult than it would otherwise been.
Thus RAVENOUS has nothing to do with RAVENS.PANTRY is not connected with PANS but with BREAD (Old French PANETERIE = where bread was kept < lat.PANIS = bread) BUTTERY had originaly no conection with BUTTER, its origin being Middle English BOTERY < Old French BOTEILLERIE = a place of bottles > BOTTLER Y.
It is evident that conditions in which folk etymology flourishes are basically connected with language borrowing.Normally, when a word is borrowed it is m ade to fit the phonological system o f the borrow ing language.According to Palmer (1969; IX): "These words will be regarded with suspicious till they put on an honest English dress and begin to sound familiar."So what is not understood it should be converted into what we know.Actually, the word is transformed untill it could be understood, Associations with other words can bring about a change in the form of a word.
Investigation and criltical study is needed especially in this area of language because of the following reasons: -M ultitude o f words, (canibal, adm iral, m ohair, carnival, Jerusalem artichoke, rosemary, cockroach, rhyme, reindeer, etc.) considered to be a well-established part of a standard language, owe their present form or present meaning to the influence exercised upon them by the popular use, misuse and favourable associative links.Their true origin is possible to trace only via the process of folk etymology.
It is evident that many words and phrases might be explained only if we take into consideration a phenomenon known as folk-etymology.

Basic features of folk etymology
Dealing with definitions one is always faced with the same problem: different approaches, different definitions.
According to The New G rolier W ebster International Dictionary (1976; 379) folk-etym ology is: "Modification, through extended popular usage of an unfamiliar word to give it an apparent correlation with familiar or better understood word, often as a result of misconception o f the word's source and derivation."Thus ASPARAG US so oddly L atin in its appearance, becam e SPARROW GRASS, especially among speakers of dialects.
As Palm er (1969; VII) suggests: "By folk-etymology is m eant the influence exercised upon words, botli as to their form and meaning, by the popular use and misuse of them.In a special sense it is intended to denote the corruption which words undergo, owing either to false ideas about their derivation, or to a mistaken analogy with other words to which they are supposed to be related." Webster's definition is taken as a starting point of this work because it includes modification through the exchange of unfam iliar word with fam iliar one.This view corresponds to general attitudes tow ards the production of new words.E. Partidge (1948; 151) said: "There is a constant tendency, sometimes unconscious, sometimes deliberate and humorous, to give strange words a familiar form, to link the unknown with the known." We assume that misconception and corruption can't be taken as defining characteristics of folk etymology.In this work folk etym ology is considered to be a process which implies transformation and adaptation of lexical items via associative links and analogy.The attempt to explain the puzzling, the unknown, by the well-known, and even the known by the better known, is seen in the form o f many English words.Folk etymology process is a phase of the very general tendency, manifested among the learned and the unlearned.It usually affects foreign words, technical terms or rare words.Some examples may be given of the operation o f popular etymology in English words: a) Individual lexical items: BUZZARD < Old French BUSART, through the influence of BUZZ, became BUZZARD.
S O V E R E IG N < Old French SOVERAIN through the influence of REIGN.
A D M IR A L < Old French AMIRAL < Arabic AM IR = a prince, chief.
The D is due to confusion and association with the word ADMIRE, as we see in the Low Latin form ADMIRALIS.Old English HRAN (HREINN is its Norse cognate or perhaps original) signified R E IN D E E R , but because it was used as a beast of burden (draught horse) HRAN became REIN and DEER had to be added.
Similar situation happened with the word S A L T -C E L L A R < lat.SALIARIA (receptable for salt) was associated with the word 'cellar' and it was added to 'salt'.
-Folk etymology is not always the work of uneducated speakers.Even the learned have fallen into folk etymology, e. g. 16th and 17th century writers often spelt ABOMINABLE as ABHOM INABLE on the assumption that it came from Latin AB HOMINE -from man.
On the other hand Old Eng.RIM E has becom e RHYM E on the analogy of RHYTHM.
-Intentional 'm isconception' o f w ords (in order to achieve humouristic effects), e.g.Above mentioned examples show that modification is primarly based on analogy and associative links between words.It is in fact by analogy and 'metanalysis' that many new words come into use.

The best
In order to fulfill the needs of such an explanation we have analysed this phenomenon in the framework o f the linguistic sign and associative links.

Folk etymology -production through association
D ealing with words we have to pay attention to sem antic and phonological inform ation.A ccording to F. de Saussure (1955) the relationship between the form (phonetic structure) o f the word and its content (sem antic structure) is arbitrary (apart from a small num ber o f onom atopoeic words).But this hypothesis can't be applied on folketym ology terms.Such words can't be viwed as arbitrary linguistic signs because they are m otivated by some other words o f sim ilar phonetic structure, e.g.COCKROACH < Spanish CUCARACHA, modified in form to make it resemble to English words COCK and ROACH.
French word TETE; Italian TESTA < Latin TESTA = pot It might be concluded that arbitrariness is not dominant feature o f the linguistic sign called folk etym ology.Such words can't be treated as isolated linguistic signs because they owe their form (phonetic structure) to the associative links with other words.They can be considered as relatively motivated linguistic signs closely linked with other signs of similar phonetic structure.
Their origin can be traced via associative links and analogy.
Tracing through the process of folk etymology, therefore, is likely to shed light on the organization of the various components in the human word-store.As it is not a subject of our concern we can only rely on the following supposition based on J. Aitchison's (1987) views.
If we are faced with the foreign or strange word we are always seeking for the apt word among the various possibilities in our m ental lexicon.People usually recognize unknown, foreign or strange words by choosing the 'best fit': they match the portion they have heard with the word in their mental lexicon that appears to be the most likely 'candidate'.They frequently choose a word matching with sounds or meanings.We suggest such words to be called activation models.This is what appears to happen in word production through association.W hen we hear 'strange word', we are trying to activate all known words from our mental lexicon.We usually choose a word matching with sounds and meanings.Words which sound similar, particularly at their beginnings and ends, are those which are most closely linked.
It is evident that formal and semantic associations o f words are initiated with similarity factor.We have considered various kinds of links found between words based on the similarity, or shared units.The following are the links between interchangable words: -similarity of meaning (Lat.TUTRTUR -Eng.DOVE = TURTLE DOVE -words having sounds in common: (Sp.CUCARACHA -Eng.COCK-ROACH = COCKROACH) -sim ilarity of sounds structure and m eaning (BELFRY < French BEFFROY = tower; BELFRY because BELLS were in it) T he tendency to give a m eaning and form to adopted words via modification based on association and anology has exercised a permanent and appreciable influence on every language, e. g.Old French SOURDITE > adj.SOUFFRETEUX because of associations with SOUFFRIR; German DURCHBLAUEN = to beat < BLIUW AN, the m eaning of this word is conected with the word BLAU = blue, because of the bruises.This process is continually at work in the creative use o f language.

Conclusion
Folk etym ology seems to be an im portant source o f linguistic invention and new word creation.The process is the same as any other innovation in language.Hundreds o f examples can be found in English language and some of them are considered to be international words, e. g. c a rn iv a l, c a n n ib a l, a d m ira l, etc.They are probably adopted in English language as words which have already been m odified in the donor language.The m ost frequent source o f such English terms are Latin and French language.
On the other hand the vast majority of words are clearly modelled after the existing English morphemes in a fairly transparent manner and in accordance to English linguistic system.
To summ arise, folk etymology employs linguistic virtuosity while still operating within the general framework o f a language's rules.
Folk etymology happenns only in specific conditions and it mainly refers to unfam iliar, foreign or 'barbaric words'.In this case the notion 'barbaric' corresponds to the original meaning o f the word BARBARIAN (G r.BA R B A R O S > Lat.B A R B A R U S, one w hose language is unintelligible, a foreigner).It seems that 'barbaric words' are the m ain source of folk etymology.
In conclusion, we can say that linguistic approach to the analysis of folk etym ology process helps us to explain the origin and form ation of m any English words.W e suggest this phenomenon to be included in all grammar books.
from Italian GIRASOLE (turning with the sun) and Italian ARTICIOCCO.M O N G O O S E is from Marathi MANGUS: It's assim ilation to GOOSE has occasionally caused it to be given a wrong plural.ST A N D A R D is from Old French ESTENDART and is related to EXTEND.Association with STAND has affected both spelling and meaning.W A LN U T originally had no connection with WALL.It is from OE WEALH (foreign) and is related to WELSH.b) compounds -tautology In many instances, folk etymology has led to a compound in which the second part or element means the same as the first part or, more often renders the total meaning TAUTOLOGICAL, e.g.The second elem ent o f T U T R L E -D O V E is redundant, since TURTLE is from Latin TURTUR = dove.
e. g.M OHAIR < Arabic MOKKHAYYAR (a cloth m ade o f goat's hair) -> transformation being made under the influence o f English word 'hair'.This word served as activation model.W e suggest the process of transform ation and m odification to be presented in the following way: