[Ads-l] Pronunciation of "(anti)semitic"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Arnold Zwicky’s article discussed the variant spelling “anti-Semetic”.
Also, Arnold said that Ben Zimmer referred to the Recency Illusion.

Instances of “Semetic” (for “Semitic”) have been published over the
years with relatively low frequency (my subjective opinion). Here is
an example in 1845. The editors added an errata note indicating the
“Semetic” was a misspelling.

[ref] 1845, A Report of the Proceedings of the British Archaeological
Association at the First General Meeting held at Canterbury in the
Month of September 1844, Quote Page 38 and 4, John Russell Smith,
London. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]

https://books.google.com/books?id=2LksAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Semetic%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
Affinity to the Hebrew has been heretofore considered the test by
which other Semetic languages might be ascertained; and yet, it is
more than doubtful whether Hebrew be Semetic. What we call Hebrew is
called throughout the Scriptures, the language of Canaan, and
consequently of the descendants of Ham and not of Shem.
[End excerpt]

[Begin excerpt]
ERRATA
Page 38, line 32-3, for Semetic, read Semitic.
[End excerpt]

Here are instances in 1880 and 1881 of the spelling “anti-Semetic”.

[ref] 1880 Twelfth Month 4, Friends' Intelligencer, Volume 37, Number
42, Items, Quote Page 672, John Comly, Publishing Agent, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]

https://books.google.com/books?id=Zq6bsxGlU3sC&q=%22Semetic%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt]
It is stated that Prince Bismarck and the government of Germany
generally, while not openly advocating, are actually supporting the
anti-Semetic movement, the purpose of which is the exclusion of Jews
from public positions or power in the Empire.
[End excerpt]

[ref] 1881 January, The Arbitrator: Organ of the Workmen's Peace
Association, Quote Page 3 and 7, International Arbitration League.
(Google Books Full View) link [/ref]

https://books.google.com/books?id=4HANAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Semetic%22#v=snippet&

[Begin excerpt from Page 4]
CONTINENTAL ECHOES
(From Les Etats Unis d Europe)
The persecution of the Jews in Germany continues but the persecuted
turn on the persecutors, the pro-semetic league opposes the
anti-semetic league.
[End excerpt]

[Begin excerpt from Page 7]
The Socialists are accused of having provoked the anti-semetic
movement to excite the people to the pillage of the rich, but this is
calumny . . .
[End excerpt]

On Fri, Dec 2, 2022 at 7:45 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Also noted recently by Arnold Zwicky.
>
> https://arnoldzwicky.org/2022/11/24/anti-semetic/
>
> On Fri, Dec 2, 2022 at 7:28 PM Charles C Doyle <cdoyle at uga.edu> wrote:
>
> > More often than not, it seems (most recently tonight by Johathan Karl on
> > ABC World News), the pronunciation of the word "antisemitic" has been
> > manifesting the penultimate vowel as [E] rather than the historical and
> > orthographic [I].
> >
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org