Use this tag for questions about the history of a term or phrase.
35
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6answers
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When did it become correct to add an “s” to a singular possessive already ending in “‑s”?
According to my grammar book, but at variance to the answer to this question, the correct singular possessive if a word ends in ‑s is:
James’s car
The grammar book allows exceptions for ...
23
votes
5answers
2k views
Why have the subjunctive and indicative converged in Modern English?
It is to me a curious fact that the subjunctive mood of verbs in English has so nearly disappeared in modern times. In fact, even the correct form and usage of the subjunctive in Modern English barely ...
20
votes
2answers
1k views
Why do written English vowels differ from other Latin-based orthographies?
Written English vowels differ from other Latin-based orthographies. Consider what the written vowels in the romance languages represent. Also, for example, consider this simple comparision between a ...
144
votes
5answers
12k views
Did English ever have a formal version of “you”?
From the top of my head, Danish "de" (practically never used), German "Sie", Chinese "您", French "vous", Spanish "usted" are a formal way of addressing someone, especially if one isn't familiar with ...
20
votes
3answers
2k views
Why doesn't “its” have an apostrophe?
I know that its is the possessive and it's is the contraction, and know when to use them. But why doesn't the possessive have an apostrophe?
"The bear's eating a fish." [contraction]
"The bear's ...
46
votes
6answers
2k views
Why does legal English continue to remain archaic?
Perhaps this is a question for Law.SE if one exists, but I am asking here as there are other nice questions on English history.
There is some historical development account presented in Wikipedia, ...
26
votes
6answers
1k views
Pronunciation of the English alphabet
Why are there inconsistencies in the pronunciation of the consonants of the alphabet? For example: 'b' is pronounced like 'bee' but 'm' is pronounced as 'em' rather than 'me'. The pronunciation of 'h' ...
11
votes
3answers
9k views
Were contractions less common in olden days?
We just viewed the new movie True Grit. The language of the characters was more formal sounding than we are used to, largely because of the absence of contractions. Is this historically accurate? Do ...
13
votes
2answers
618 views
Why is there a distinction between “its” and “it's”?
While I know technically the English language has a distinction because when there's a conflict between the possessive form and a contraction, the contraction wins. That is:
Its is the possessive ...
14
votes
6answers
560 views
Paucity of words for relationships
Please refer the following questions asked elsewhere on this site:
Is there a word that means "the wife of one's brother"?
What is the relationship name of my wife's brother to me?
...
114
votes
8answers
4k views
What is the factual basis for “pirate speech”? (Did pirates really say things like “shiver me timbers”?)
The "pirate speech" we hear/see/read at, for example, the website Talk Like A Pirate Day consists of a rhotic dialect characterized by phrases like "shiver me timbers," "ooh arh me hearties," and so ...
23
votes
3answers
2k views
Why did only English undergo the Great Vowel Shift, making pronunciation stray so far from spelling?
Lots of people have wondered why English seems to be one of very few languages with such irregular spelling, far from its pronunciation. The answers include the Norman invasion, and the Great Vowel ...
20
votes
2answers
4k views
Use of “f ” instead of “s” in historic, printed English documents
I was at a museum in London yesterday, and one of the items on exhibit is a document from the eighteenth century. It uses the letter f a lot where s should be used—for example, in Majefty.
Did the ...
20
votes
3answers
880 views
Is there a historical trend towards shorter sentences?
From my own reading of older books (eg. 18th, 19th century) in various styles (novels, philosophical treatises, scientific publications), it seems that sentences were longer back then.
Is there good ...
33
votes
6answers
2k views
How did “Jew” become pejorative?
For some reason, the word Jew often carries a pejorative or offensive connotation, which the related adjective Jewish does not carry. This is most obvious when either word is used as an attributive:
...
13
votes
2answers
854 views
What is the history of adding the a- prefix to form words?
I have always found the a- prefix to words (as in anew, ajar, aside, awake, afoot, a-hunting, etc.) fascinating. The NOAD says on this topic:
a- 2. prefix
•to; toward : aside | ashore.
...
6
votes
5answers
6k views
Is “from whence” correct? Or should it be “whence”?
I just saw a parody on the Lord of the Rings, where one of the characters says:
it must be cast back in the fire from whence it came!
This struck me as odd, since I expected them to say "whence ...
25
votes
6answers
6k views
What is “won't” a contraction of?
"Don't", "wouldn't", "couldn't" and "isn't" are all contractions of "do not", "would not", "could not" and "is not"... So what's "won't" a contraction of?
It appears to be "will not", but if so, why ...
0
votes
3answers
2k views
Do we ask for check or cheque in restaurants?
I know there is a related question asked here. But its slightly different than it and seeking more information.
I live in India, I have been to America couple of times. In my first trip it was ...
71
votes
1answer
3k views
Did English ever have a word for 'yes' for negative questions?
The Germans have doch and the French have si as a word that means "yes" in response to a negative question, such as:
Don't you want some ice-cream?
Yes [I do]!
In English, we only have yes (as ...
94
votes
2answers
3k views
Where were “should”, “shall”, and “must” in the 18th Century?
According to the following Google Ngram, in the U.K. the modals should, shall, and must were virtually missing from English writing during the 18th Century (I've added will for a comparison modal ...
17
votes
7answers
9k views
Why did English become a universal language and when?
As we all know, English is the universal communication medium. Now we know how powerful it is to convey our thoughts. When did it become a common language? Why did they opt for this language?
16
votes
1answer
1k views
Historical reasons of footnotes' sequence symbols
As @Mahnax answered to this question, the footnotes' sequence symbols is as follows (Chicago Manual of Style Online):
* (asterisk; but do not use if p values occur in the table; see 3.78)
† ...
7
votes
7answers
699 views
What are some of the most influential or obscure phrases and literary constructions drawn from the Bible?
I was reading through some English L & U SE questions, and happened across one asking about the origin of the phrase "Through a Glass, Clearly / A Scanner Darkly / In a Mirror, Darkly / ...
35
votes
5answers
7k views
What did “google” mean in the 1900s?
I know that Google got its name from the word googol (10100), and that Google/google referring the search engine/using the search engine are recent additions to the dictionary. Their definitions are ...
13
votes
2answers
331 views
Why is a w a “Double u”, but an m is not a “Double n”?
My 4 year old son just asked me this, and I have to say I am totally stumped.
I hate not telling him things, so here's hoping you guys can dig me out of this hole.
You can't fault his logic!
12
votes
4answers
691 views
19th century English texts occasionally use germanic-style number words, such as “four-and-twenty”. When did this fall out of use?
19th century English texts occasionally use germanic-style number words, such as "four-and-twenty", but the same text would also have the modern "twenty-four" in places (see e.g. Conan-Doyle for ...
8
votes
2answers
946 views
What makes a word offensive? [closed]
Whilst I was sat on the bus yesterday, I overheard a group of teenagers discussing various things. As per the usual social requirement at that age, every 5th word was an expletive. Not exactly the ...
8
votes
7answers
4k views
When did the word “so” begin to be used to start a sentence?
In the last few years, I've noticed a growing usage of the word "so" to begin a sentence, especially in the context of higher education.
For example:
Interviewer: "What is the nature of your ...
12
votes
2answers
946 views
Why did Old Testament scholars choose to employ “to know” in a sexual sense?
For those of us not familiar, the verb to know once had an archaic sexual sense, often found in the Old Testament, and as illustrated in the following story found in Genesis 19:
4 But before they ...
10
votes
3answers
322 views
Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate?
Where did the practice of using apostrophes for possessive nouns but not pronouns originate?
For example, possessive nouns (both proper and common) are written with a apostrophe before the final s:
...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
“That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” [closed]
With Neil Armstrong's death today, many news sites are posting articles that quote Neil Armstrong as "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.".
My question is, does the quote ...
10
votes
5answers
4k views
Where does “ta!” come from?
Where does the expression "ta" come from?
Wikipedia has only this to say:
"ta!", slang, Exclam. Thank you! {Informal}, an expression of gratitude
but no additional information or links about ...
7
votes
5answers
669 views
When and how did “momentarily” come to mean “in a moment”, rather than “for a moment”?
"Momentarily" used to mean "for a moment" only, and not "in a moment". Thus, newscasters could be divided into two clear groups: those who would say "we'll be back momentarily," and those who would ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
Why does “ow” have two different sounds
Why is it that the "ow" in now makes the aʊ sound while "ow" in snow makes the oʊ sound? Has this always been, was it spelled differently and then changed, or was it spelled this way but the sound ...
5
votes
5answers
256 views
How dangerous is the acceptance of common usage on traditional English?
I mean how far should we flow on with the current called "common usage"?
Is there a fear that the real English is going do disappear someday?
By the way, as for me, I like common English myself. :)
3
votes
5answers
1k views
When did the use of acronyms begin? [closed]
What are some of the earliest acronyms and did they know it was an acronym at the time?
2
votes
5answers
484 views
History/connection/origin of using names as verbs/nouns?
There are a good few words in English that come from names:
To jimmy a lock is to break it.
To jack someone is to rob them.
To peter out is to become tired.
A john is a bathroom, or one who buys the ...
1
vote
3answers
3k views
What does “everything's gone pear-shaped” mean?
I've recently heard this phrase spoken twice on a British television show, and I assume it means something along the lines of, "everything's fallen apart," generally meaning, things are bad right now. ...
8
votes
4answers
645 views
What is the historic process for converting vulgar words into simply rude words?
I have noticed a pattern involving vulgarities where the previous generation's evil words become accepted as merely off-color or rude in the following generation. Is this merely each generation's ...
50
votes
4answers
5k views
How did Americans greet each other before “Hi”?
I had assumed that "hi" was a somehow abbreviated form of "hello," but though both of these words appear to have originated from a noise to attract attention, hi actually predates hello. These words ...
42
votes
5answers
3k views
What we've gelost — why doesn't English use the prefix “ge-”?
The Germanic languages that I'm familiar with all use a prefix similar to ge- on past participles:
German: Ich habe mir den Fuß gebrochen.
Dutch: Ik heb mijn voet gebroken.
But English ...
17
votes
3answers
2k views
“How come” vs “Why?”
What are the differences between the terms "How come ... we eat breakfast?" and "Why ... do we eat breakfast?"
The words phrase based in how seems really awkward to me, and I don't understand this ...
11
votes
2answers
750 views
How and when did American spelling supersede British spelling in the US?
Considering that Webster published his first dictionary in 1806, is there a recognised tipping point (year, decade, etc.) that marked the move from traditional British spelling to Webster's American? ...
16
votes
7answers
10k views
Why is a woman's purse called a “pocketbook”?
It's not a book, and it doesn't fit in anyone's pocket. Why does my brother-in-law insist on calling his wife's purse a pocketbook?
I'm interested in the etymology, and in the chronological and ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
what is the origin of the phrase “a penny for your thoughts”?
Googling for the origin of "A penny for your thoughts," I have only found the origin of a likely-related phrase "my two cents" and simple dictionary entries for "a penny for your thoughts." What is ...
6
votes
1answer
224 views
Jackson = $$son: pun or topical reference
Alfred Bester's short story The Demolished Man (the original version serialized in Galaxy magazine in 1952, not the novel published in 1963) may have been the first instance of SMS-speak, featuring ...
4
votes
1answer
632 views
Good and bad - suppletive adjectives
In English, there are three suppletive adjectives: good, bad and far. Their comparative and superlative forms derive from different stems, i.e., we have best instead of *goodest, worse instead of ...
15
votes
4answers
731 views
Are the verbs that are conjugated to end in “-n” in the past related?
There are many words that in English are conjugated in the past tense to end in "-n": grow goes to grown, sew goes to sewn, throw goes to thrown, etc.. I'm guessing it was probably the regular ...
9
votes
4answers
2k views
Why do common swear words have four letters?
As a non-native speaker I always wondered why most (common) swear words have four letters. I know this is shifting and more words are araising and traditional swear words lose their "harshness", but ...
