> the world for girl is generally seen as a standalone word, and so it seems odd. That’s the thing: language also change the way you see things. Native English

> the world for girl is generally seen as a standalone word, and so it seems odd. That’s the thing: language also change the way you see things. Native English people might find it strange for the reason you mention, but German people can find it normal, because it is a diminutive following the usual rules. It is not a “standalone word”: it is a root and a suffix. It is not an oddity at all within the framework of the language (which has its share of irregularities already).