4 ms·
My favourite example of rebracketing is the origin of the word "orange". European languages got the word from Persian or Arabic. But in Persian it's "narang" a
by gjm11 5y ago
My favourite example of rebracketing is the origin of the word "orange".
European languages got the word from Persian or Arabic. But in Persian it's "narang" and in Arabic it's "naranj". (And in the languages they got it from, the word also begins "nar-".) So what happened to the initial "n"?
Answer: rebracketing, not as with "alchemy" from an article present in the source language but with an article that isn't there. You start with "naranj", import it into (say) French: "une norange". A bit of elision and it sounds the same as if that initial "n" weren't there, and after a while people forget about it.
Even better, in 19th-century Scots we find "nirrange" where the word has gained an initial n- again via another rebracketing from the indefinite article "an".
(Also, a nitpick: "etymology" isn't the only English word from "etymon", not only because of "etymologist" and "etymological" and the like but also because "etymon" itself is an English word, though not a common one.)
- tshaddox 5y agoThat’s a good one. I’ve heard that referred to as “faulty separation.” “Apron” was supposed to be “a napron,” not “an apron.” “Umpire” was from Old French “nonper” (meaning not even, i.e. an odd-numbered person to settle a dispute between two even groups).