Etymological fallacy

An etymological fallacy is an argument of equivocation, arguing that a word is defined by its etymology, and that its customary usage is therefore incorrect.^[1][2]

History

Ancient Greeks believed that there was a "true meaning" of a word, distinct from common use. There is evidence that a similar belief existed among ancient Vedic scholars. In modern days, this fallacy can be found in some arguments of language purists.^[1]

Occurrence and examples

An etymological fallacy becomes possible when a word's meaning shifts over time from its original meaning. Such changes can include a narrowing or widening of scope or a change of connotation (amelioration or pejoration). In some cases, modern usage can shift to the point where the new meaning has no evident connection to its etymon.^[1]

An example of a word with a potentially misleading etymology is antisemitism. The structure of the word suggests that it is about opposition to and hatred of Semitic peoples, but the term was coined in the 19th century to specifically refer to anti-Jewish beliefs and practices, and explicitly defined Jewish people as a racial class. Modern anthropology and evolutionary biology overwhelmingly reject the concept of race,^[3][4] and the term Semite is rarely used anymore except in discussing Semitic languages. An etymological fallacy emerges when a speaker asserts that antisemitism is not restricted to hatred of Jews, but rather must include opposition to all other Semitic peoples.^[5][6] However, sources like Encyclopædia Britannica still consider it a misnomer. ^[7]

See also

• False friends

• Folk etymology – Process of reinterpretive word formation

• Genetic fallacy – Fallacy of irrelevance
• Informal fallacy – Form of incorrect argument in natural language
• Persuasive definition – Stipulative, biased definition of a term

References

Further reading

• Gula, Robert J. (2002). Nonsense: A Handbook of Logical Fallacies. Axios Press. pp. 48, 161. ISBN 0-9661908-5-8.
• Steinmetz, Sol (2008). Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meanings. Random House Reference. ISBN 978-0-375-42612-4.
• Zenker, Frank (2002). The Etymological Argument - Fallacy or Sound Move. Munich. ISBN 978-3-638-14401-8. OCLC 904809359.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)