2007, Volume 5, Number 1

An Etymology of Four English Words, with Reference to both Grimm’s Law and Verner’s Law

What do birds and etymology have in common? Quite a lot, I’ve recently discovered. Charles Darwin’s The Origin of the Species is perhaps one of the most important and influential books in history. When it was published in London in 1859, it introduced a revolutionary way of thinking about natural changes, evolution (Darwin 1st ed). Case in point: Darwin suggests in his book that fourteen distinct but closely related species of finch in the Galapagos Islands most likely evolved from a single ancestral species. Beaks of the different birds evolved as needed to suit changing form and function for the individual, like seed cracking or nectar sipping (Darwin, re-1st ed. 75-80). That said, get ready for a leap: could language, which has certain organic characteristics, be subject to a similar process of evolution? I believe that etymology, the study of the origin of words and their changes over time, points the way to natural selection, as do the laws of Grimm and Verner, which govern sound shifts in Indo-European languages (Baugh 21-22). So, I’m going out on a limb with the finches to say that language undergoes a form of natural selection. While speculative, I believe the assertion is a reasonable one.

Darwin explains his theory of evolution by way of natural selection in this way: “I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term Natural Selection” (Darwin, re-1st ed. 109). It’s a fine scientific theory, but how could this concept apply to language? First, I will argue that language is organic-growing, changing, and evolving over time. If a language doesn’t grow, it may eventually die out and become extinct, also a part of Darwin’s equation (Darwin, re-1st ed. 80). The phenomenon of language is organic because human beings are dynamic creatures. As a communication system, language is a reflection of culture and the people in it. Moving about in our natural environment, we learn and grow and cultivate new ways of understanding. It seems logical then, that a natural law like evolution would also apply to the nature of language. Second, the study of etymology, Grimm’s Law, and Verner’s Law demonstrate the principals of natural selection as defined by Darwin. If word changes (including variations in spelling, pronunciation, and meaning) are useful, they are preserved and passed down. Let’s look now at four individual words and how changes have evolved (or not, depending on usefulness) over time.

The English word dollar was changed and borrowed from the original High German thaler, recorded in 1540 from the original Joachimstaler as a silver mine in Bohemia (“Dollar” Etymological). Thaler or taler in High German became daler in Low German and was modified to dollar in England before 1600. The word’s basic useful meaning has changed little over time, mostly relating to a type of monetary currency. The dollar was adopted with the decimal system of coinage for the United States in 1785 and is still used today. Thaler or taler to daler then dollar is also a nice example of Verner’s Law showing a clear progression from the original voiceless th sound to a voiced d (“Dollar” OED).

Gay in the English language is a word that has undergone an interesting evolution in meaning and possibly pronunciation; I would argue it has been adapted for individual needs, like the beaks of Darwin’s finches. The word has many forms, including the French gai, Provencal gai or guai, Old Spanish gayo, Portugese gaio, and Italian gajo; however, the etymology is ultimately unknown. Experts disagree, but the word gay may originate from wâhi, an Old High German word meaning pretty (“Gay” OED), not obvious as an example of Grimm’s or Verner’s Laws. Another possibility is from German gehen meaning “to go” (“Gay” Etymological), which sounds a bit like gay. In 1310, the word was first described as joyful. By 1350, it was poetic praise for women; both Chaucer and Shakespeare use the word this way. Gay took a stronger meaning by 1637 as “addicted to social pleasures... [or] of loose or immoral life.” Used in slang, it could also be used to describe prostitution. While the word is still sometimes used to describe joyfulness, it has evolved into today’s most common meaning: homosexual (of person or place). Common meanings mostly revolve around bright/lively and homosexual, possibly playing off stereotypes involving “showy” dress, a flamboyant manner, or perceived loose morals (“Gay” OED).

The word horn is a nice example of Grimm’s Law and a natural movement suggesting a common Teutonic (Germanic) ancestry: Old English horn, Old Frisian/Old Saxon horn, and Old High German/Old Norse horn (“Horn” OED). According to The Oxford English Dictionary, Old Teutonic horno- is also cognate with Latin cornu, as well as Celtic corn, and related to the Greek ?e?-a? or ?e?-at (“Horn” Etymological). This relation illustrates Grimm’s voiceless k changing to a fricative h. Cornu to horno can be seen in the related terms “horn of plenty” and cornucopia, meaning something (often a horn-shaped object) overflowing with abundance (“Horn” OED). Most meanings for the word horn are related to a bony growth on the head of certain animals, first described in year 1000. Perhaps the origin comes from the Greek root kar, which means “hard” (“Horn” Etymological). Different horn sayings and phrases relate mostly to the bony growth, things made with or resembling an animal horn (including instruments), and difficult or firm things. The Oxford English Dictionary lists an instrument attached to motor vehicles, a great undertaking, and an erect penis as examples (“Horn” OED).

The English word dale is my final example of an evolving word. It is another example of Verner’s Law: thal to dal and dale; the original voiceless th sound has evolved to a voiced d. Similar forms of the word show common Teutonic relation: Old Saxon dal, Old Frisian del, Old Norse dalr, and German thal. The OED says: “As used in ME [Middle English] the native word appears to have been reinforced from the Norse, for it is in the north that the word is a living geographical name (“Dale” OED). The first notation of the word comes early, in the year 893 (“Dale” OED). There are several meanings for the word dale. The first grouping has much to do with land, particularly valley spaces. Other seemingly unrelated meanings relate to pronunciation and a type of tube or drain.

Looking at individual words, their relationships, changes, and general evolution, one can postulate that Darwin’s effect may be seen in the field of linguistics, as well as the biological sciences. Just as Darwin noted several species of birds that likely came from an ancestral species, we can suggest that words like dollar, horn, and dale come from a shared Germanic-language ancestor. Just as the beaks of different finches changed over time to suit the changing needs of individuals, so we see words like gay that changed to meet the dynamic, changing needs of growing languages to reflect culture. I think Charles Darwin would be pleased that some 147 years after the publication of his book The Origin of the Species, a fourth-year English student who studied natural science in the fall of 2006 would not only remember Darwin’s Law of natural selection, but find a practical application for it in the field of her choosing-the English language. And it proves one thing more: evolution is not just for the birds.

Works Cited

• Baugh, Albert, and Thomas Cable. A History of the English Language. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2002. 21-22.
  
• “Dale.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.
  
• “Dale” Skeat, Walter Rev. An Etymological Dictionary of the English language. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1898.
  
• Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. 1st ed. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1859.
  
• Darwin, Charles. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. re-1st ed.. New York: Gramercy Books, 1979. 75-190.
  
• “Dollar.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.
  
• “Dollar” Skeat, Walter Rev. An Etymological Dictionary of the English language. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1898.
  
• “Gay.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.
  
• “Gay” Skeat, Walter Rev. An Etymological Dictionary of the English language. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1898.
  
• “Horn.” The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989.
  
• “Horn” Skeat, Walter Rev. An Etymological Dictionary of the English language. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1898.
  

This paper was written for English 320, History of the English Language

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