Five common English words we don't know the origins of–including 'boy' and 'dog'
The article explores the mysterious origins of English words like "bird," "boy," "girl," "dog," and "recorder." Linguists face challenges tracing their roots, revealing intriguing insights into language evolution.
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The article discusses the origins of five common English words whose etymologies remain unknown, including "bird," "boy," "girl," "dog," and "recorder." Linguists use the comparative method to trace the historical development of words across languages but face challenges with certain terms that lack cognates in related languages. For instance, "boy" evolved from a term for a servant in the 13th century, while "girl" has origins linked to Old English words for garment. The word "dog" presents a lexicological mystery, with its roots in Old English still unclear. Additionally, the term "recorder" refers to a musical instrument with known origins from Middle French and Latin, but the reason for its English designation remains uncertain. These linguistic puzzles offer insights into the naming processes of our ancestors and the complexities of language evolution.
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11 commentsI've always thought that 'boy' sounded suspiciously close to the Swiss German translation "bueb" (or sometimes "buebe"), almost pronounced "b-way-b"
Great book!
Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recorder_(musical_instrument)#... has a full etymology, which contradicts the article.
https://www.reddit.com/r/etymology/comments/8qdnpu/what_are_...
Or more generally from uralic languages, example Finnish: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/poika
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