eggcorn: "profound" (profane) words

[Dennis R. Preston]

That's it, but I didn't want to suggest AS because I thought it
referred to other languages. A review of the article shows that there
is considerable speculation on extending the rule to other languages,
and, as the title suggests, that labiality as well as velarity is
associated with derogation, although velars trump labials according
to Wescott. Low and back vowels are also derogatory according to this
article, but the effect of consonants is greater. I wonder if the
augmentative versus diminutive dimension is not involved here. Low
vowels are "open" and "bigger" and more often used in augmentatives
(e.g., Spanish -on) while close vowels are "smaller" (e.g., Spanish
-ito/a). Does this point to an augmentative/derogative connection?
"Big" is "no good"? In languages that have such morphs that I know,
diminutives are much more frequently used for familiarity,
endearment, casualness,etc... and augmentatives are used for
derogation, distaste, clumsiness, etc....

Thanks for the reference.

dInIs


>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Stephen Goranson <goranson at DUKE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: eggcorn: "profound" (profane) words
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Quoting Dennis Preston <preston at MSU.EDU>:
>
>>  One phonaesthetic argument put forward some time ago (forgot the
>>  reference) is that ethnic slurs and obscenities are full of velars,
>>  voiceless velars in particular. Plenty of exceptions (which, as many
>>  have pointed out, only prove the rule), but not enough to challenge
>>  the generalization it seems to  me. Anybody remember this? I'd like
>>  to retrieve the reference?
>
>Perhaps it's R. W. Wescott, Labio-Velarity and Derogation in English: A
>Study in
>Phonosemic Correlation, American Speech 1971, 123-37.
>
>Stephen
>
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--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of English
15C Morrill Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4736
preston at msu.edu

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