Etymology – etymon

(2) ‘Branch of linguistics that studies the origin and the history of vocables’

Historicalor diachronic

lexicology

Etymology?

(1) ‘Origin and history of a vocable (= grouping of lexical units[= lexemes or idioms])’

Etymon?

‘Linguistic sign (lexeme or affix)from which descended a given linguistic sign’

Etymological classes (1) Inherited lexicon

(3) Internal creations

(2) Borrowings (= loan words)

= normally transmitted lexical units(from the common ancestorof the language family)

= lexicals units which were taken from another language

= new lexical units constructedfrom existing materialsin the same language

Etymon: inherited lexicon

Proto-Germanic *fader

Engl. father Germ. Vater Dutch vader a. s. o.

Etymon

= Common ancestor of a cognate set

Etymon: borrowings

Etymon

= Borrowed lexical unit (of the donour langage)

Engl. dessert < French dessert

Etymon: internal creationsEtymaIt depends...

(1) Derivation:type of word-formation in which new lexemes are created by adding affixes to existing lexemesExample: (TO) WASH + -ABLE > WASHABLE

(2) Compounding:type of word-formation in which new lexemes are created by joining two or more lexemesExample: (TO) SCARE + CROW > SCARECROW

Idioms and collocations?

Idioms:Should their etyma be phrases?

Clearly, this is a blind spot of etymological theory and practice!

Collocations:As collocations are not linguistic signs, they do not have etymologies (nor etyma)However, we should try to identify their source

Example: Fr. poser un lapin poser un lapin [à qqn]

lit. « to plant a rabbit [on somebody] »

‘to stand [somebody] up’

Idiom or collocation?

TLF: idiom (« Expr. »)

poser des lapins ‘to be in the habit of standing [somebody] up’

ne me pose pas de lapin! ‘do not stand me up !’

Collocation!

Diachronic perspective?

LAPIN1 ‘rabbit’ (since ca 1450)

monter en lapin ‘to ride a coach sitting next to the coachman (where no passengers are supposed to sit), so as to travel as a passenger in overload’ (1809–1897)

More of the same voyager en lapin ‘to travel [riding a coach]

sitting next to the coachman as a passenger in overload’ (1828–1858)

EN LAPIN ‘sitting next to the coachman (where no passengers are supposed to sit), so as to travel as a passenger in overload’ (1897)

LAPIN2 ‘passenger in overload in a coach, who sits next to the coachman (where no passengers are supposed to sit)’ (1873–1922)

Towards ‘illicite behaviour’ FAIRE CADEAU D’UN LAPIN [à qqn]

‘to omit to pay [a prostitute]’ (1878) POSER UN LAPIN [à qqn] ‘to

omit to pay [a prostitute]’ (1881)

LAPIN3 ‘fact of not fulfilling a duty [toward somebody]’ (postulated)

poser un lapin [à qqn] ‘to fail to meet somebody’s duties’ (1896)

poser un lapin [à qqn] ‘to leave without paying somebody’s due’ (1896)

poser un de ces lapins ‘to fail clearly to meet somebody’s duties’ (1888)

Other ‘illicite behaviour’

poser un lapin [à qqn] ‘to stand [somebody] up’ (since 1896)

LAPIN4 ‘appointment at which one does not show up’ (since 2003)

French borrowing in Occitan

Lexikon der Romanistischen Linguistik (LRL) 5/1

Castres

Idiom

Occitan (Castres) FA DE LAPINS ‘to cover a part of a wineyard which one has left uncultivated by turned over soil in order to give the impression that it has been cultivated’