LL-L "Etymology" 2012.04.17 (01) [DE-EN-NDS]

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 L O W L A N D S - L - 17 April 2012 - Volume 01
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From: Marcus Buck list at marcusbuck.org
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2012.04.16 (03) [DE-EN-NDS]

 From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>

   Subject: Etymology

Dear Lowlanders,

Today, our Hanne wrote something about German *Ohrwurm* ([ˈʔoːɐ̆vʊɜ̆m]) and
Low Saxon *Ohrworm ~ Uhrw*orm ([ˈʔɔʊˑɜ̆vɔˑɐ̆m] ~ [ˈʔuːɜ̆vɔˑɐ̆m]), literally
"earworm", (Wikipedia: "catchy tune; or a piece of music that sticks in
one's mind so that one seems to hear it, even when it is not being played").

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohrwurm

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohrwürmer

*Uhrworm *m. Ohrwurm; *Oorworm,  Urworm*: *en Kirl as en Uhrworm (ein
beweglicher, wendiger Mann) *REUTER; ironisch und warnend: jem.  ist *fründlich
as 'n Uhrworm. *Syn.: *Uhrenkniper, Uhrslüser.*
Lit.: Perfesser Voßlo

*Ohrwurm, *m., Ohrworm, pl. -wörm; Ohrklauer/-kröpel [ǭ]/ -kruper, m., pl.
-s
Lit.: GÜNTER HARTE - JOHANNA HARTE

English happens to have the a direct cognate ("earworm"), as do Dutch and
Afrikaans (*oorwurm*), and Limburgish (*oerwórm*), as does French (*ver
d'oreille*). Within this specific context, Japanese has borrowed from
English *iyāwāmu* (イヤーワーム), phonologically adapted.

I am interested in cognates in other languages and in knowing in which ways
this lexical construction, this semantic extension, may have spread. Please
bear in mind that "earworm" is the same as "earwig" in some languages. This
is a different kind of thing, an actual insect.

Thanks in advance for any info and clues!


I tried looking for info in Google Books and Google Ngrams. The expression
seems to be young. The oldest German reference I could find was from
Sigismund von Radecki's *Weisheit für Anfänger* in 1956: *Wie der Schlager
als musikalischer Ohrwurm in alle Gehörswindungen kriecht, so schlüpft auch
das Schlagwort in jene des Gehirns, und dabei sind Worte ja doch mächtiger
als Musik. (
<http://books.google.de/books?id=sWhGAQAAIAAJ&q=%22ohrwurm%22+musik&dq=%22ohrwurm%22+musik&hl=de&sa=X&ei=6a6NT-rrEsbRtAaGn6GhCQ&redir_esc=y><http://books.google.de/books?id=sWhGAQAAIAAJ&q=%22ohrwurm%22+musik&dq=%22ohrwurm%22+musik&hl=de&sa=X&ei=6a6NT-rrEsbRtAaGn6GhCQ&redir_esc=y>
)

*The oldest reference in English texts I could find is from 1991, in the
English translation (*The bride price*) of a novel by German novelist Grete
Weil*: In the vernacular, it's called an "earworm" — words, bits of
musicthat won't leave you alone.
*(<http://books.google.de/books?id=jUbuAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Earworm%22><http://books.google.de/books?id=jUbuAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Earworm%22>
)*

*It seems, German is the original source of this meme and it's based on the
mental image of a small vermin creeping into your ear.

Marcus Buck**

*
*
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