[Lexicog] Pejorative suffixes

[Fritz Goerling]

>     On 26/03/2005 17:19, Fritz Goerling wrote:
>
>     > Fritz Goerling wrote:
>     >
>     >  >How productive is pejorative -ling in English?
>     > >
>     > Peter Kirk:
>     >
>     > I don't think this is pejorative in English either, it is simply a
>     > diminutive.
>     > ...
>     >
>     > (FG)   How about courtling, earthling, underling?
>     >
>
>     (PK)
>     Well, it is the "under" rather than the "-ling" which makes
>     "underling"
>     pejorative. And "earthling" was not originally pejorative, although I
>     have seen it used as such. I have never seen "courtling".
>
>     (FG) How about hireling, princeling?
>
 (PK)
"Hireling" is simply someone who is hired. "Princeling" is a diminutive,
not in physical size of course but in importance. Of course any
individual diminutive word can become pejorative, but the primary
meaning is certainly diminutive, like its cognate German -lein.

  (FG)  Well, how about weakling?
          BTW, not each -ling in German is pejorative but can be endearing
(like darling = Liebling).
          Maybe we can agree that from a diminutive either an endearing or a
pejorative term can
          develop.



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