Etymology in the English Dialect Dictionary
-
Emil Chamson
Abstract
This article discusses the treatment of etymology in Joseph Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary (EDD) (1898–1905), a topic about which the literature has offered virtually no information. The focus is, first, on the presentation and characteristics of etymological comments in the EDD, followed by questions of their reliability and usefulness, drawing in large part on comparisons with other sources, especially the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Comparative analysis has shown a high degree of agreement, with limitations pertaining less to the information included in the EDD than to information not included. That is, EDD etymologies are often sparse and, more important, seldom reflect uncertainties. In sum, the investigation suggests that the EDD provides valuable impulses for the study of etymology in Late Modern English (LModE) dialect lexis, offering the potential to expand our understanding of the area enormously.
Abstract
This article discusses the treatment of etymology in Joseph Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary (EDD) (1898–1905), a topic about which the literature has offered virtually no information. The focus is, first, on the presentation and characteristics of etymological comments in the EDD, followed by questions of their reliability and usefulness, drawing in large part on comparisons with other sources, especially the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Comparative analysis has shown a high degree of agreement, with limitations pertaining less to the information included in the EDD than to information not included. That is, EDD etymologies are often sparse and, more important, seldom reflect uncertainties. In sum, the investigation suggests that the EDD provides valuable impulses for the study of etymology in Late Modern English (LModE) dialect lexis, offering the potential to expand our understanding of the area enormously.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Introduction 1
-
Corpus linguistics today and tomorrow
- Can’t see the wood for the trees? 13
- Spelling variation in Middle English manuscripts 31
-
Aspects of language change
- The development of compound numerals in English Biblical translations 49
- The complements of causative make in Late Middle English 59
- The pragmaticalization and intensification of verily , truly and really 75
- Concept-driven semasiology and onomasiology of CLERGY 93
- ANGER and TĒNE in Middle English 109
-
Middle and Modern English case studies
- The subjunctive vs. modal auxiliaries 127
- Some notes on the distribution of the quantifier all in Middle English 141
- Interjections in Middle English 157
- Why and what in Early Modern English drama 177
- Colloquialization and not -contraction in nineteenth-century English 191
-
Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary and thereafter
- The complexity and diversity of the words in Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary 209
- Etymology in the English Dialect Dictionary 225
- Towards an understanding of Joseph Wright’s sources 241
- The importance of being Janus 257
- ... ging uns der ganze alte Dialektbegriff in eine Illusion auf 269
- Index 285
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of abbreviations vii
- Introduction 1
-
Corpus linguistics today and tomorrow
- Can’t see the wood for the trees? 13
- Spelling variation in Middle English manuscripts 31
-
Aspects of language change
- The development of compound numerals in English Biblical translations 49
- The complements of causative make in Late Middle English 59
- The pragmaticalization and intensification of verily , truly and really 75
- Concept-driven semasiology and onomasiology of CLERGY 93
- ANGER and TĒNE in Middle English 109
-
Middle and Modern English case studies
- The subjunctive vs. modal auxiliaries 127
- Some notes on the distribution of the quantifier all in Middle English 141
- Interjections in Middle English 157
- Why and what in Early Modern English drama 177
- Colloquialization and not -contraction in nineteenth-century English 191
-
Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary and thereafter
- The complexity and diversity of the words in Wright’s English Dialect Dictionary 209
- Etymology in the English Dialect Dictionary 225
- Towards an understanding of Joseph Wright’s sources 241
- The importance of being Janus 257
- ... ging uns der ganze alte Dialektbegriff in eine Illusion auf 269
- Index 285
