English etymology

[Liar]

My plunge into the shoddy world of academic studies has brought me to linguistic theory and language sociology. And I just realized that I spent too much money on a book about the history and evolvment of Anglosaxon languagages and specifically English words and sayings.

The book is crap, Junior High level crap. And I want to learn stuff, not regurgitate common knowledge so that I can get grades.

So I put my hope to you LITerates. Can you recommend some good books on English etymology? I want one or several books that covers everything thoroughly. Phonetic development, the origin of different morphems, words, grammar devices, and also where popular phrases and sayings come from. From biblical buzzphrases to 21st century hotness.

Is there an English über bible on this? Or can you recommend good reading on some part of what I need?

 

[dr_mabeuse]

I hate this: there was just an excellent series on the the development and history of the English language on Public Broadcasting, but now I can't find it in Google and I don't remember the name of the show. I'm pretty sure they had a companion book.

Anyone out there know what I'm talking about?

 

[McKenna]

Liar, I took a linguistics class at university that taught about etymology -like how words have "morphed" through the centuries to become the words we use in modern English.

The class dealt (in part) with how sounds are produced in the mouth and how those sounds when combined with other sounds forces a change in the language. For instance, the original English word for pea was pease. Pease was the singular and the plural. However, given that a good portin of plurality in English is demonstrated with an "s", it was assumed that pease was actually "peas" (back in the day when a small minority could actually read and write.)

Another example I can think of in modern English is the name "Ambrose Pierce." Most people attribute him with great quotes and works of fiction, The Devil's Dictionary among them. Ambrose Pierce does not exist; Ambrose Bierce, however, does. But when you say the name out loud, the B gets morphed into a P because of the proximity of the "s" in Ambrose to the "b" in Bierce.

It also goes over how words originally from other languages like "beef" and "pork" morphed from their original French into what we know as English today.

But I digress.

What I meant to suggest is that I could look up which textbook we used for this class if this is at all what you are looking for. Otherwise, I'd suggest taking the course from Prof. Ryder. She's a whizbang at that language stuff.

 

[elfin_odalisque]

I paddle about in the marshes of US and UK etymology, but will admit I have never found the 'pot of gold'.

Best reference is the OED online, but it costs a fortune. Have you tried www.etymonline.com, a superb starting point for any research.

 

[iztheo]

I hate this: there was just an excellent series on the the development and history of the English language on Public Broadcasting, but now I can't find it in Google and I don't remember the name of the show. I'm pretty sure they had a companion book.

Anyone out there know what I'm talking about?

When I read your post I thought at first you might have been refering to a show from earlier this year called "Do You Speak American" with Robert MacNeil, but it was focusing more on the evolution of language and vocabuluary in the US.

While looking this up on the PBS website I found a brief reference to another program that Robert MacNeil did 20 years ago called "The Story of English," a nine- part series on the development of the language through time and place.

I'm not sure if you can get a copy of the original series or the companion book though ...