Merkins--(origin in metanalysis)

[Cohen, Gerald Leonard]

    Maybe this was already mentioned in the thread (if so, my apologies), but the origin of "Merkins" would be a sort of metanalysis of  the singular "American" (An example of metanalysis is "an ekename"--literally "an also name" being incorrectly analyzed in popular speech to "a nekename," which gives modern "nickname").
 
     So, someone would say "I'm American" (adjective), which would be reanalyzed to "I'm a Merikan" (noun).  Then, once someone can be "a Merikan," more than one would be "Merikans." Then by slurring (I'm sure there's a more precise phonological description/rule for this): "Merkins."
 
Gerald Cohen
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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