[Lexicog] Pejorative suffixes

[Peter Kirk]

On 26/03/2005 16:10, David Tuggy wrote:

>**Comments from David Tuggy below**
>
>

Thank you, David. Just one further comment:

>
>
>... I find it interesting
>that the nationality/language sense, though extensively exemplified, is
>not productive, in comparison with the -ese or especially the -an
>suffixes with those meanings. The only -ish formation of this type that
>I know of being coined in my lifetime is "Yerkish", the language taught
>to chimpanzees at Yerkes, which was likely calqued on "Turkish".**
>
>
>
Well, there is "Biblish", which has been extensively used on another
list which you and I are on. But this is perhaps not so much Bible+-ish
as a compound of Bible and English. But I would agree that -ish for
languages and peoples is no longer productive, having had its day
probably in the 19th century when it was used more widely than today.
"Canaanitish" and "Israelitish" were both used in the 19th century, but
then both are in the King James Bible.

But what about Elvish, Dunlendish, Orkish, and (as languages) Mannish
and Dwarfish? These are 20th century coinages, all in The Lord of the
Rings (most in Appendix F), although maybe before your lifetime!


--
Peter Kirk
peter at qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk at qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/



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