[Lexicog] Pejorative suffixes

[Fritz Goerling]

Peter,

It strikes me how often you use the word "simply" in this discussion.
I am more convinced about David Tuggy's  differentiated analysis.

Fritz Goerling


  On 26/03/2005 18:17, Fritz Goerling wrote:

  >
  > ...
  > >
  >  (PK)
  > "Hireling" is simply someone who is hired. "Princeling" is a diminutive,
  > not in physical size of course but in importance. Of course any
  > individual diminutive word can become pejorative, but the primary
  > meaning is certainly diminutive, like its cognate German -lein.
  >
  >
  >     (FG)  Well, how about weakling?
  >             BTW, not each -ling in German is pejorative but can be
  >     endearing (like darling = Liebling).
  >             Maybe we can agree that from a diminutive either an
  >     endearing or a pejorative term can
  >             develop.
  >
  A weakling is simply a weak person, just as a hireling is a hired
  person. Nothing necessarily pejorative. But I agree with your final
comment.

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



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