A Study On The Originating Channels Of Folk-etymology And Its Characteristics

Phonetic, lexical and grammatical elements are the most fundamental ones in the composition of language. Lexical items are very active and subject to the evolution all the time. Folk-etymology concerns the particular variation phenomenon of lexical meanings during the language evolution. The article starts with a review and summary on the past and current studies on folk-etymology both at home and abroad. The article defines the concept from its broad sense, which covers both sides, namely, the lexical change itself and the lexical origins. The paper concentrates on three production channels of folk-etymology: Chinese idioms, Chinese neologies, and place names, with abundant examples provided. Furthermore, the paper represents the psychological incentives for the origin of folk-etymology and the linguistic and cultural psychology, which is reflected by the psychological convergence and divergence of people speaking different languages. The paper also extends itself on the discussion on the importance of teaching folk-etymology. The role it plays cannot be underestimated in teaching foreigners Chinese vocabularies. Through the study of folk-etymology, the diversity and the versatility of Chinese vocabularies and the necessity of understanding the language development principles can be witnessed.