[Lexicog] Pejorative suffixes

[Ron Moe]

One of the semantic phenomena that we must grapple with in lexicography is
extended metaphor. If we can define a diminutive suffix as "a small X", then
it would be subject to the extended metaphor "Good is big, bad is small."
>From these metaphors we have such expressions as "small minded" and "big
hearted." It would stand to reason, then, that any diminutive could be
pejorative. A good dictionary should note whenever an idiom or derivative is
based on an extended metaphor. I also recommend that we include an appendix
of metaphors:

Being bad is being small:
feel small, little courage, little imagination, small fry, small minded,
smalltime, small wonder, weakling

Ron Moe
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Fritz Goerling [mailto:Fritz_Goerling at sil.org]
  Sent: Saturday, March 26, 2005 11:18 AM
  To: lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com
  Subject: RE: [Lexicog] Pejorative suffixes



  >     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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