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View Full Version : [Dixonary] Rnd 1672 GERLIND Results


Dodi Schultz
January 3rd, 2006, 09:32 AM
>> I've just found something else in the Century Dictionary Online
>> <http://www.global-language.com/century/>, which isn't indexed by
>> Google. It has:
>>
>> gerling, n. [Perhaps a var. of yearling, with orig. g. ] A salmon
>> which has returned the second time from the sea. [Local, Eng.]
>>
>> I'm not convinced by that etymology, as a salmon - as I understand
>> it from other websites - would be about 6 years old the first time
>> it returned from the sea, but it is a possibility.
>>
>> -- Tim L

Thanks, Tim! Fascinating. I have the same skeptical reaction as you do. Now
we have to await comment from Paul the etymological whiz! Paul?

--Dodi

Paul Keating
January 3rd, 2006, 12:12 PM
Northumbrian gerling (WS gearling) is certainly plausible for yearling. I
think neither is attested, but -ling was a semiproductive suffix in OE (sort
of like -manship is for us) so lack of written evidence is not a big
objection.

It is much harder to explain
-- the survival of the initial g (should become yogh and then y)
-- the change of ending (no parallel change in other words like suckling,
foundling; and no plausible source for an epenthetic d, such as frequent
collocation with a following word beginning s)

As for the signification ('thing appearing after a year' as opposed to
'thing a year old'), I see Tim's objection but I think it has less force
than he does, because we don't know how this word was used in OE (if it was
used at all).

All in all, though, if I saw that etymology in a Dixonary round I wouldn't
vote for it.

--
Paul Keating
The Hague


----- Original Message -----
From: "Dodi Schultz" <schultz (AT) compuserve (DOT) com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2006 4:32 PM


> >> gerling, n. [Perhaps a var. of yearling, with orig. g. ] A salmon
> >> which has returned the second time from the sea. [Local, Eng.]
> >>
> >> I'm not convinced by that etymology, as a salmon - as I understand
> >> it from other websites - would be about 6 years old the first time
> >> it returned from the sea, but it is a possibility.

> Thanks, Tim! Fascinating. I have the same skeptical reaction as you do.
Now
> we have to await comment from Paul the etymological whiz! Paul?



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