Folk Etymology Reshapes Foreign Place Names Into Familiar Words
TL;DR
- Foreign place names undergo phonetic transformation into familiar words through folk etymology, reshaping unfamiliar sounds into recognizable linguistic patterns for native speakers.
- The transformation of "Purgatoire" to "Picketwire" illustrates how English speakers map foreign sounds to familiar words, driven by an impulse to make sense of the unfamiliar.
- Folk etymology reshapes foreign words into forms that align with current knowledge, such as interpreting "Purgatoire" through the lens of fencing terms like "pickets."
- Place names can retain both official, transformed versions (e.g., "Purgatoire") and living, local pronunciations (e.g., "Picketwire"), reflecting historical linguistic shifts.
- The phenomenon of folk etymology is not limited to one language pair but occurs universally when speakers of different languages encounter each other's place names.
- Linguistic transformations like "Cayo Hueso" becoming "Key West" demonstrate how Spanish place names are adapted into English, often simplifying or altering original meanings.
Deep Dive
Place names undergo significant transformation as they cross linguistic and cultural boundaries, a process driven by folk etymology where unfamiliar words are reshaped to fit familiar linguistic patterns. This phenomenon, exemplified by the Purgatoire River in Colorado becoming the Picketwire, illustrates how historical interactions and mishearings can create enduring local identities distinct from official designations.
The evolution of the Purgatoire River's name from its Spanish origins ("river of the lost souls in purgatory") to the French "Purgatoire" and finally to the English "Picketwire" demonstrates a clear causal chain. English speakers, encountering the unfamiliar French pronunciation, mapped its sounds onto common English words, "picket" and "wire," likely influenced by the visual of stakes used for tethering horses. This folk etymology is not merely a linguistic curiosity; it creates a dual naming system where an official, historical name coexists with a living, locally used variant. This divergence can lead to confusion for outsiders but reinforces a sense of local connection and historical memory for those familiar with the colloquial name. The broader implication is that place names are dynamic, reflecting not just geography but also the layers of human interaction, adaptation, and reinterpretation over time. This process is not unique to Purgatoire; similar transformations occur globally, as seen with Key West (from Cayo Hueso) and various place names derived from French, showing that the reshaping of foreign words into more familiar forms is a universal linguistic tendency.
Ultimately, the persistence of names like "Picketwire" alongside official designations like "Purgatoire" highlights the power of local usage to shape identity and meaning. It reveals that the names we use for places are often less about literal accuracy and more about how those names resonate with, and are adapted by, the people who live with them, creating a rich tapestry of linguistic history embedded in the landscape.
Action Items
- Audit 5-10 place names: Identify potential folk etymologies by comparing official maps to local slang pronunciations.
- Create a glossary: Document 3-5 examples of foreign place name transformations (e.g., Purgatoire to Picketwire) for team reference.
- Analyze 3-5 French-derived place names: Investigate potential phonetic shifts from original French to Anglophone versions.
- Track instances of linguistic adaptation: Record 5-10 examples of unfamiliar sounds being mapped to familiar words in place names.
Key Quotes
"The shift from Purgatoire to Picketwire is for a river and its canyon land in southeastern Colorado, not Kansas. It is a great example, though, of folk etymology and how it shapes what we say."
Martha Barnette explains that the transformation of "Purgatoire" to "Picketwire" is a prime illustration of folk etymology. This linguistic phenomenon occurs when unfamiliar words or names are altered to fit the sounds and structures of a speaker's native language. Barnette highlights that this process shapes how place names evolve over time.
"English speakers heard something like Purgatoire, and then mapped it to the familiar words, picket and wire. In folk etymology like this, a change is made to fit current knowledge."
Grant Barrett elaborates on the specific transformation of "Purgatoire" into "Picketwire." He describes how English speakers, encountering the French name, reinterpreted its sounds to match familiar English words. Barrett notes that this adaptation is driven by a desire to make the unfamiliar name understandable within the context of existing knowledge.
"We fit the unfamiliar words to the rules of our own language, or we recast unfamiliar sounds into familiar words."
Grant Barrett further defines the mechanism of folk etymology. He explains that this process involves either applying the grammatical rules of one's own language to foreign words or transforming foreign sounds into recognizable ones from one's own language. Barrett emphasizes that this is a common way for linguistic elements to adapt and become integrated.
"Hob-son Job-son. It refers to the shaping of foreign words into more familiar forms, like we explained. And it's named after an Anglophone version of an Arabic mourning cry for Hassan and Hussein, the grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad. Hob-son Job-son was what English speakers thought they heard."
Martha Barnette introduces a specific linguistic term, "Hob-son Job-son," as an example of folk etymology itself. Barnette explains that this term describes the process of adapting foreign words into more recognizable forms. She illustrates this with the origin of the term, which arose from English speakers mishearing an Arabic mourning cry.
"Key West, for example, is an Anglophone transformation of the Spanish, Cayo Hueso, meaning bone key."
Grant Barrett provides another instance of folk etymology with the place name "Key West." Barrett explains that this name is an English adaptation of the Spanish "Cayo Hueso." He clarifies that the Spanish phrase translates to "bone key," demonstrating how foreign place names can be altered through phonetic reinterpretation by English speakers.
Resources
External Resources
Articles & Papers
- "Picketwire" (A Way with Words minicast) - Discussed as an example of folk etymology transforming place names.
People
- Gary Heath - Emeritus professor at Mount Saint Clair College, who submitted the question about Purgatoire, Kansas.
- Grant Barrett - Co-host of A Way with Words, explaining linguistic transformations.
- Martha Barnette - Co-host of A Way with Words, discussing place name origins.
Websites & Online Resources
- A Way with Words website (https://waywordradio.org) - Resource for free episodes and more information about the podcast.
Other Resources
- Hob-son Job-son - Linguistic term referring to the shaping of foreign words into more familiar forms, itself a folk etymology.
- Purgatoire - River and canyon land in southeastern Colorado, officially named but locally referred to as Picketwire.
- Cayo Hueso - Spanish for "bone key," the origin of the Anglophone place name Key West.
- La Honda - Spanish for "the hollow," the origin of the Anglophone place name La Junta.
- Le mont vert - French for "green hill," a potential origin for the Lemon Fair River.
- L'eau froide - French for "cold water," a potential origin for L'Eau Froid, Arkansas.
- Chemin couvert - French for "covered path," a potential origin for Smackover, Arkansas.
- Rio de las animas pedidas en Purgatorio - Spanish for "the river of the lost souls in purgatory," the original Spanish name for the Purgatoire River.