Etimologi

Etimologi, or etymology, is the branch of linguistics that studies the history of words: their origins, their forms, and their meanings over time, and the connections between related words in different languages. It seeks to explain how a contemporary word arrived in its present form and sense, and how it relates to cognates across language families.

Approach and sources: Etymology relies on historical-comparative methods, philology, and careful examination of written records. Researchers identify the earliest attested forms, reconstruct probable proto-forms, and analyze regular sound changes, semantic shifts, and borrowings. Evidence comes from dictionaries, literature, inscriptions, and cross-linguistic studies; hypotheses are evaluated against multiple languages and historical contexts.

Types and limitations: Etymology distinguishes internal developments within a language from external borrowings. It also differentiates true derivations from folk etymologies. Because data can be fragmentary or ambiguous, etymologies are often hypothetical and subject to revision as new evidence emerges.

History and use: The discipline has long informed lexicography and the understanding of linguistic change. The 19th century saw the rise of systematic historical linguistics and the comparative method, enabling broader connections among Indo-European languages and other language families. Today, etymology underpins dictionaries, language teaching, and research into cultural contact.

Examples: The word etymology itself traces to Greek etymon 'true sense' and -logia. English 'salary' derives from Latin salarium, a payment historically linked to salt. Such cases illustrate how forms and meanings shift as words travel and languages influence one another.