hawk/hock

[Dennis R. Preston]

Nope! No confusion here in phonology or lexicon. I have (at least)
"hawk" (v.) 1. to peddle aggressively, 2. to attend to or watch
carefully (as in "ball-hawk" in hoops), and 3. a sport using birds
(called "falconry" by the elite).

None of these are related to "hock," but it's easy to see how the
morally inadequate vowel conflaters among use might see a
relationship between the first verb "hawk" and "hock."

dInIs

>        You're confusing two completely different words.  "Hawk," in
>"Muncie Hawk Shop," is either a misuse of "hock" or, far more
>likely, from the verb "to hawk," meaning to peddle goods
>aggressively, a back-formation from Middle English "hauker," a
>hawker or peddler.  "Hawk," in the sense of a bird of prey, derives
>from Old English "heafoc," a hawk or falcon.
>
>
>John Baker
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Dennis R. Preston [mailto:preston at PILOT.MSU.EDU]
>Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2002 6:25 PM
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: hawk/hock
>
>
>Is there a merger of the words anywhere (i.e., people who confuse
>"pawning" with "bird of prey"?
>
>dInIs

--
Dennis R. Preston
Professor of Linguistics
Department of Linguistics and Languages
740 Wells Hall A
Michigan State University
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