FW: In defense of etymological speculation

[Frank Abate]

Larry H pointed out (below) that Mill first mentioned this, and I'm sure
that's right.  Likely I heard it somewhere, liked it, and didn't realize the
source.

In any case, the validity of the etymological fallacy applies, then and now.

Frank Abate

At 6:18 AM -0400 8/13/02, Frank Abate wrote:
>
>(Brief aside: I use the term "etymological fallacy" in this connection.
>What I mean by it is that it is futile, or nearly so, to argue for a
>particular word usage, or to insist on the use of a certain form or
spelling
>of a word, simply on the grounds that the "true" etymology so indicates.

I wonder if John Stuart Mill, who defines "etymological fallacy"
essentially in just this way in his 1863 _Utilitarianism_ pamphlet
(in critiquing Horne Tooke, who was apparently fell into such a
fallacy), gets pride of place for this.  Hard to tell, since it's the
kind of expression that is perhaps too transparent to get a listing
in the OED.

L