LL-L "Etymology" 2008.10.31 (05) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L - 31 October 2008 - Volume 05
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From: Luc Hellinckx <luc.hellinckx at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology"

Beste Ron (& annere liëglanners),

Just came across the interesting Scots verb "to kittle" for "to tickle" (E).
Scots has this "k-t-l"-structure in common with all the other North-Sea
Germanic languages:

kitzeln (G), kittelen/kietelen (D), köteln (B), kitla (Icelandic)...

Except English, which has "t-k-l" (metathesis?). The word is explained as
"Lautnachahmung" (sort of a phonetic imitation) by Kluge, which I find kind
of strange.

Some Flemish dialects have "tingelen", which means" to feel a burning
sensation in your skin, after touching a nettle (the plant itself is often
called "nen tingel"). As far as I know, Brabantish doesn't have the noun, we
do use "singelen" for the verb though (related to English "to singe").

Besides, there seems to be a thin line between feeling comfort and/or pain
when one gets tickled.

Still recall that day when I was a kid and after spending too many hours in
the scorching sun, my back was seriously tanned. Took a shower and then
suddenly felt an itch all over my back, while I was wiping myself...dozens
of blisters had started to peel off. I wanted to scratch like mad, but the
more I did so, the more it itched. In the end I seriously felt like climbing
the walls out of sheer discomfort. I could no longer stand still, my heart
was racing and I was running to and fro like a madman...ants in my pants so
to speak *s*.

So maybe "to tickle" is neither a case of metathesis, nor an onomatopoetic
word...who knows?

Kind greetings,

Luc Hellinckx
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