Re: USAGE: Dutch v or f (was: Grimm's Law)
From: | John Cowan <jcowan@...> |
Date: | Thursday, April 18, 2002, 12:16 |
Roger Mills scripsit:
> These last are very odd. It seems to be rare for truly new "invented" words
> to arise. Acronyms, contractions, humorous deformations-- yes.
When Calvin (of _Calvin and Hobbes_) is asked to explain Newton's
First Law in his own words, he writes "Yakka foob mog. Grug pubbawup
zink wattoom gazork. Chumble spuzz." But most people are not so quick
to make up "their own words".
> IIRC one of
> the few without any known etymology in modern times is "gas", Fr. "gaz"(?)
Another is "kodak", evidently invented directly by George Eastman.
This is not so common a common noun as it used to be, to be sure.
--
John Cowan <jcowan@...> http://www.reutershealth.com
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen, http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
han mathon ne chae, a han noston ne 'wilith. --Galadriel, _LOTR:FOTR_
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