Each month we bring you the best new release books in our Book Brief. Get FREE shipping when you use the promo code bookbrief Fiction Books Useful by Debra Oswald I was really reminded of The Rosie Project while I was reading this very entertaining novel. It has all the humour and poignancy of that […]
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By: [email protected],
on 2/1/2015
Blog: Perpetually Adolescent (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Alice,
on 7/30/2014
Blog: OUPblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books, autumn, Language, February, Oxford Etymologist, word origins, etymology, anatoly liberman, Ukraine, Wrap, monthly gleanings, *Featured, so long, Heavy rain, Dictionaries & Lexicography, slough, sloo, who whom, Add a tag
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By: Michael Young,
on 3/6/2012
Blog: The Canticle (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Canticle of Night, Canticle of Dawn, Writing Advice, Editors, February, Add a tag
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By: alethea aka frootjoos,
on 2/19/2012
Blog: Read Now Sleep Later (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: [email protected],
on 2/1/2015
Blog: Perpetually Adolescent (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Alice,
on 7/30/2014
Blog: OUPblog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Books, autumn, Language, February, Oxford Etymologist, word origins, etymology, anatoly liberman, Ukraine, Wrap, monthly gleanings, *Featured, so long, Heavy rain, Dictionaries & Lexicography, slough, sloo, who whom, Add a tag
By Anatoly Liberman
Since I’ll be out of town at the end of July, I was not sure I would be able to write these “gleanings.” But the questions have been many, and I could answer some of them ahead of time.
Autumn: its etymology
Our correspondent wonders whether the Latin word from which English, via French, has autumn, could be identified with the name of the Egyptian god Autun. The Romans derived the word autumnus, which was both an adjective (“autumnal”) and a noun (“autumn”), from augere “to increase.” This verb’s perfect participle is auctus “rich (“autumn as a rich season”). The Roman derivation, though not implausible, looks like a tribute to folk etymology. A more serious conjecture allies autumn to the Germanic root aud-, as in Gothic aud-ags “blessed” (in the related languages, also “rich”). But, more probably, Latin autumnus goes back to Etruscan. The main argument for the Etruscan origin is the resemblance of autumnus to Vertumnus, the name of a seasonal deity (or so it seems), about whom little is known besides the tale of his seduction, in the shape of an old woman, of Pomona, as told by Ovid. Vertumnus, or Vortumnus, may be a Latinized form of an Etruscan name. A definite conclusion about autumnus is hardly possible, even though some sources, while tracing this word to Etruscan, add “without doubt.” The Egyptian Autun was a creation god and the god of the setting sun, so that his connection with autumn is remote at best. Nor do we have any evidence that Autun had a cult in Ancient Rome. Everything is so uncertain here that the origin of autumnus must needs remain unknown. In my opinion, the Egyptian hypothesis holds out little promise.
Vertumnus seducing Pomona in the shape of an old woman. (Pomona by Frans de Vriendt “Floris” (Konstnär, 1518-1570) Antwerpen, Belgien, Hallwyl Museum, Photo by Jens Mohr, via Wikimedia Commons)
The origin of so long
I received an interesting letter from Mr. Paul Nance. He writes about so long:
“It seems the kind of expression that should have derived from some fuller social nicety, such as I regret that it will be so long before we meet again or the like, but no one has proposed a clear antecedent. An oddity is its sudden appearance in the early nineteenth century; there are only a handful of sightings before Walt Whitman’s use of it in a poem (including the title) in the 1860-1861 edition of Leaves of Grass. I can, by the way, offer an antedating to the OED citations: so, good bye, so long in the story ‘Cruise of a Guinean Man’. Knickerbocker: New York (Monthly Magazine 5, February 1835, p. 105; available on Google Books). Given the lack of a fuller antecedent, suggestions as to its origin all propose a borrowing from another language. Does this seem reasonable to you?”
Mr. Nance was kind enough to append two articles (by Alan S. Kaye and Joachim Grzega) on so long, both of which I had in my folders but have not reread since 2004 and 2005, when I found and copied them. Grzega’s contribution is especially detailed. My database contains only one more tiny comment on so long by Frank Penny: “About twenty years ago I was informed that it [the expression so long] is allied to Samuel Pepys’s expression so home, and should be written so along or so ’long, meaning that the person using the expression must go his way” (Notes and Queries, Series 12, vol. IX, 1921, p. 419). The group so home does turn up in the Diary more than once, but no citation I could find looks like a formula. Perhaps Stephen Goranson will ferret it out. In any case, so long looks like an Americanism, and it is unlikely that such a popular phrase should have remained dormant in texts for almost two centuries.
Be that as it may, I agree with Mr. Nance that a formula of this type probably arose in civil conversation. The numerous attempts to find a foreign source for it carry little conviction. Norwegian does have an almost identical phrase, but, since its antecedents are unknown, it may have been borrowed from English. I suspect (a favorite turn of speech by old etymologists) that so long is indeed a curtailed version of a once more comprehensible parting formula, unless it belongs with the likes of for auld lang sine. It may have been brought to the New World from England or Scotland and later abbreviated and reinterpreted.
“Heavy rain” in languages other than English
Once I wrote a post titled “When it rains, it does not necessarily pour.” There I mentioned many German and Swedish idioms like it is raining cats and dogs, and, rather than recycling that text, will refer our old correspondent Mr. John Larsson to it.
Ukraine and Baltic place names
The comment on this matter was welcome. In my response, I preferred not to talk about the things alien to me, but I wondered whether the Latvian place name could be of Slavic origin. That is why I said cautiously: “If this is a native Latvian word…” The question, as I understand, remains unanswered, but the suggestion is tempting. And yes, of course, Serb/Croat Krajna is an exact counterpart of Ukraina, only without a prefix. In Russian, stress falls on i; in Ukrainian, I think, the first a is stressed. The same holds for the derived adjectives: ukrainskii ~ ukrainskii. Pushkin said ukrainskaia (feminine).
Slough, sloo, and the rest
Many thanks to those who informed me about their pronunciation of slough “mire.” It was new to me that the surname Slough is pronounced differently in England and the United States. I also received a question about the history of slew. The past tense of slay (Old Engl. slahan) was sloh (with a long vowel), and this form developed like scoh “shoe,” though the verb vacillated between the 6th and the 7th class. The fact that slew and shoe have such dissimilar written forms is due to the vagaries of English spelling. One can think of too, who, you, group, fruit, cruise, rheum, truth, and true, which have the same vowel as slew. In addition, consider Bruin and ruin, which look deceptively like fruit, and add manoeuver for good measure. A mild spelling reform looks like a good idea, doesn’t it?
The pronunciation of February
In one of the letters I received, the writer expresses her indignation that some people insist on sounding the first r in February. Everybody, she asserts, says Febyooary. In such matters, everybody is a dangerous word (as we will also see from the next item). All of us tend to think that what we say is the only correct norm. Words with the succession r…r tend to lose one of them. Yet library is more often pronounced with both, and Drury, brewery, and prurient have withstood the tendency. February has changed its form many times. Thus, long ago feverer (from Old French) became feverel (possibly under the influence of averel “April”). In the older language of New England, January and February turned into Janry and Febry. However powerful the phonetic forces may have been in affecting the pronunciation of February, of great importance was also the fact that the names of the months often occur in enumeration. Without the first r, January and February rhyme. A similar situation is well-known from the etymology of some numerals. Although the pronunciation Febyooary is equally common on both sides of the Atlantic and is recognized as standard throughout the English-speaking world, not “everybody” has accepted it. The consonant b in February is due to the Latinization of the French etymon (late Latin februarius).
Who versus whom
Discussion of these pronouns lost all interest long ago, because the confusion of who and whom and the defeat of whom in American English go back to old days. Yet I am not sure that what I said about the educated norm is “nonsense.” Who will marry our son? Whom will our son marry? Is it “nonsense” to distinguish them, and should (or only can) it be who in both cases? Despite the rebuke, I believe that even in Modern American English the woman who we visited won’t suffer if who is replaced with whom. But, unlike my opponent, I admit that tastes differ.
Wrap
Another question I received was about the origin of the verb wrap. This is a rather long story, and I decided to devote a special post to it in the foreseeable future.
PS. I notice that of the two questions asked by our correspondent last month only copacetic attracted some attention (read Stephen Goranson’s response). But what about hubba hubba?
Anatoly Liberman is the author of Word Origins And How We Know Them as well as An Analytic Dictionary of English Etymology: An Introduction. His column on word origins, The Oxford Etymologist, appears on the OUPblog each Wednesday. Send your etymology question to him care of [email protected]; he’ll do his best to avoid responding with “origin unknown.” Subscribe to Anatoly Liberman’s weekly etymology articles via email or RSS.
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The post Monthly etymology gleanings for July 2014 appeared first on OUPblog.
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By: Michael Young,
on 3/6/2012
Blog: The Canticle (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Canticle of Night, Canticle of Dawn, Writing Advice, Editors, February, Add a tag
Put February in the Win column! I passed 50,000 words again, and I’m up foranother great writing month in March. I had a crazy week revising my twoparables for my “Parables for Today” submission. I guess that book is comingout this Summer. I’ll post the details as I have them.
Stats:
Running Total: 106,332
Month to Date: 12,343
Yearly Percentage to Go: 82.3%
Writing Tip of the Week:
A good editor is worth his or her weight in…first edition rarebooks. (You thought I was going to say ‘gold’ didn’t you. I really do try towatch the cliché thing.) When looking for an editor, find someone who willreally tell it to you straight and give you ‘tough love’ when you need it. Ihave a really tough editor help me disassemble and reassemble two of my storiesthis week and though it hurt a little, I ended up with a superior finishedproduct.
Writing Update:
“Canticle of Night” is finished! The entire thing can be read andlistened to. My editor thought the story came to a satisfying conclusion, butif you do want more, I’m starting up the next “season” called “Canticle of Dawn”.It picks up years later in the Canticle Kingdom and tells the backstory of someof the pivotal characters from “The Canticle Kingdom” and continues the storyfrom “Canticle of Night”. They have told me that they would like to turn itinto an eBook and an audio book soon.
If you want to listen to or read "Canticle of Night",please visit my page at http://www.bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofNight.html
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By: alethea aka frootjoos,
on 2/19/2012
Blog: Read Now Sleep Later (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: events, February, 2012, Add a tag
| Schmooze with Bridge to Books Wed, Feb 22, 2012 - 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm Once Upon a Time Bookstore 2207 Honolulu Avenue, Montrose CA 91020 818-248-9668 Katherine Applegate - The One and Only Ivan - and Literacy Cafes event listing Teachers, librarians, and parents, come and chat with us about teaching, literacy, & many creative ways to connect kids with books. Tickets are $5 each. |  |
| Marissa Meyer signs Cinder Fri, Feb 24, 2012 - 5:00 pm Mrs. Nelson's Toy and Book Shop 1030 Bonita Avenue, La Verne, CA 91750 909-599-4558 event listing |  |
 | Breathless Reads Marie Lu - Legend Beth Revis - Across the Universe Jessica Spotswood - Born Wicked Andrea Cremer - Nightshade Fri, Feb 24, 2012 - 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Once Upon a Time Bookstore 2207 Honolulu Avenue, Montrose CA 91020 818-248-9668 event listing |
| Passion and Prose Sat, Feb 25, 2012 - 9:00 am to 3:30 pm Westin Long Beach, 333 East Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA 90802 Prices REDUCED from $125 to $65 For more info, check out the Authors Are Rock Stars page here. event listing |
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By: nicole,
on 2/14/2012
Blog: the enchanted easel (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: picture book art, the enchanted easel, pippa, cute, love, february, valentine's day, children's illustration, hearts, letter, whimsical, Add a tag
 ...because it's my favorite day of the year :)happy valentine's day! love, pippa....and me :) xxx 
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By: Claudette Young,
on 1/28/2012
Blog: Claudsy's Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Writer, Blog, Uncategorized, Arts, February, WordPress, Writers Resources, BlogHer, NaBloPoMo, Add a tag
Yes, folks, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. There is yet another challenge for the writers who just can’t stand going without one. I found this particular one when I joined the BlogHer Network a couple of days ago. The challenge is to write a themed blog post each day for the given month, in this case, February. BTW, this should in no way intimidate or discourage any writer from picking up the gauntlet of that have beaten back many a writer. After all, there are many writers and other bloggers who already post each day. I know, because I used to be one of them. According to the BlogHer challenge, February’s theme is “Relative,” meaning that each post must have something to do with family in one form or another. Now, having redefined what constitutes “family” many times across the span of my life, I don’t seriously feel challenged as to topic. I have entire state’s worth of pseudo-family to draw from. What might concern me, if I allow myself to think about it for more than a nanosecond, is the fact that I have three blogs—not counting an inactive one in the UK—which might, technically, fall under the auspices of this challenge. Should I be held accountable for only one of my blogs each day, or, do I have to include all of them in the challenge? That’s a big question and one I have only a few days to answer before beginning the keyboard shuffle. I’m counting on all of you to help me with this decision. Am I supposed to do all three—that includes Trailing Inspirations on WordPress—or can I muddle through doing only one of them? And if only one, which one—Claudsy’s Calliope on Blogspot, or Claudsy’s Blog on WordPress? Comments are encouraged, indeed, required on this one, peeps. HELP ME DECIDE! Claudsy        
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By: Sara Burrier,
on 1/25/2012
Blog: warrior princess dream (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: valentines day, february, watercolor, prizes, heart, mermaid, giveaway, sara butcher, sara burrier, sara b illlustration, iowa, love, Add a tag
I would like to start a new tradition around here, and I want it to be something special given at least once a year. I want to give away a painting, and I think Valentine's Day is the perfect time.  Title: "Love Floats" Image Size: approx. 6.5 x 11 inches Paper Size: 9x12 I applied much of what I learned, and something clicked last night as I completed "Love Floats". I am VERY excited to see the new discovery in my later work. (discovery will be revealed in next blog post) Why the original giveaway? I truly believe my artwork goes to those it was intended for, and I know in these times it can be difficult to obtain something extra that isn't a necessity. So, is this intended for you? Here's how you can find out... Mandatory Entry: Post below about one of the biggest blessings you've ever received. What truly touched you and made you stand up straight knowing you were/are loved? Additional ways to enter (get your name in multiple times): 2 entries - Visit my shop and share your favorite art print below 3 entries - Write a blog post about this giveaway and share the post here Please be sure to post all comments here so that nothing gets lost. If it's not below it won't count. I will use Random.org to determine a winner.  There's More?! Yuppers! There will be a second and third place winner too! Second Place Prize: *Two (2) 8x10 prints of your choice from my shop and one (1) Print of "Love Floats" Third Place Prize: One (1) print of
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By: Kara Schaff Dean,
on 3/1/2011
Blog: Not Just for Kids (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: picture books, Best of, February, Add a tag Lots of picture book reading in February. These were among my favorites. Monsters Eat Whiny Children (Kaplan, Bruce Eric) This qualifies as the best book about complaining since Emily Jenkins' I Love You When You Whine. The indecisiveness of a group of monsters as to the best way to serve up whiny children is at the heart of this humorous book. Kudos for mentioning curry: "They all tried to
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By: Chris Singer,
on 2/20/2011
Blog: Book Dads (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: News, february, book dads, link up, Multicultural Lit, Read Around the World Challenge, Add a tag
 Read Around the World ChallengeFebruary Link-UpSorry for posting this so late in the month. I forgot all about the link up portion of the challenge. Ugh, what a rookie!
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By: Anne Spollen,
on 2/15/2011
Blog: Anne Spollen's Author Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: February, potluck stuff, Add a tag
 While I was looking for pictures of the last snowstorm, I finally found the picture of our Christmas mantle that I thought I had never taken. Everyone piled stuff there without any real pattern, sort of a designer's potluck. It has nothing to do with this post, but that's sort of the way February has been going around here.  Here are observations from my snowlog: 1. Cats really, really don't understand glass. Maybe buying a glass computer table to fit into the kitchen corner should have been thought through a little more. Our cats are already nuts and now they are making themselves crazier than ever by trying to knock pens and papers off the glass. When we clear it, they try to bite each other's paws through the glass. Lots of giant skunk tails and long caterwauls that sound like: rrrrrrreeeeeeewwwwwwwoooooohhhhh. It's like living inside the soundtrack of nightmares.  2. Philip is going to church with me now. Yup, lapsed Catholics that we were. There is a much, much longer story to this, but suffice it to say, my tall boy is now listening to weekly homilies and gospel right next to his mom.And isn't that every 16 year old boy's dream? 3. I am cleaning out my closet. Really cleaning, as in basement and attic scouring, so even the bagged up stuff that I paid a lot for and was going to fit into one day is g
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By: Sara Burrier,
on 1/31/2011
Blog: warrior princess dream (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: facebook, february, etsy, sale, raffle, sara b illustration, Add a tag
 ❤ Starting tomorrow, February 1st, every time you spend $25 at my Etsy shop your name gets entered into the RAFFLE ! Every Thursday during the month of February a name will be drawn. Your name never leaves the raffle unless you win! ❤ The Prize A handsigned, personalized, and dated edition of Pure Inspiration's "Fantasy Art Collection". A heavy and gorgeous book filled with masterful fantasy artists including Shelia Wolk, Josephine Wall, K.Y. Craft, and more! Even the cover is embossed! Many artists, many stories about their inspirations, and SO many stunningly beautiful pages of artwork. The first drawing will be held on February 4th. The announcement will be made here and on my Facebook Fan page. 
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By: Paula Becker,
on 2/9/2010
Blog: Whateverings (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: skeching, Sketches, sketch, February, Church Sketches, church, montreal, paula becker, quebec, sunday, Westmount, Emmaus Anglican Church, Add a tag But is there anything else in early February in Montreal? It’s a big church to warm up. There are large vents on each side of the sanctuary that put out heat. People will congregate there to warm themselves before sitting down. I spent a good part of the service in front of one myself. But when [...]
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By: Administrator,
on 2/3/2010
Blog: Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Wacky Wednesday, Elementary Educators, Preschool to 1st grade teachers, Books With Social Studies Content, Black Heritage Toys, Black History Month, February, Add a tag
This company also sells puzzles from 24 to 1000 pieces, featuring Harriet Tubman, Barack Obama, and Matthew Henson. These puzzles are all under $10–very economical! Finally, the resources section of the website are two PDFs you can download for either students ages 3 to 6 or 8 to 11. The 3 to 6 guide is a lesson plan called “Escape to Freedom” about the Underground Railroad. The 8 to 11 guide is a lesson plan about the Ewe people from Ghana and their wonderful art of weaving. Use this website and its economical resources to teach your students and/or children during Black History Month! Add a Comment
By: Anne Spollen,
on 1/8/2010
Blog: Anne Spollen's Author Blog (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap) JacketFlap tags: Light Beneath Ferns, February, Add a tag
15 Comments on Light Beneath Ferns, last added: 1/11/2010
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Oh my goodness. I cannot even imagine doing all 3 every day … and on basically the same topic? Yikes! As slow as I am at writing, that’s all I would accomplish in Feb. *rolling eyes*
If it was me, I’d choose one. For those who follow one of your blogs, but not all 3, you could always place a “c’mon over here” message and link to your NaBloPoMo posts.
My first thought is that either of your wordpress blogs would be a good fit. But then I got to thinking … wouldn’t it be fun for you and Jo to work on it together at Trailing Inspirations? Complete with photos, of course!
Whatever you choose, I know we can count on quality work and words. Write on, my friend!
Marie Elena
I have to say, Marie, that I’m leaning toward the same conclusion. I’d already thrown out Trailing Inspirations from the mix, simply because it would become too unwieldy during the process. Jo has too much on her plate right now to even contemplate such a task. You have no idea of the work involved for her for such an undertaking.
So, I’ll probably do only one blog entry each day and do it here, while also posting it on Calliope. Since there are different readers at each blog site, I’ll get all of them that way.
Won’t be long now before I have to begin it, either. Thanks, my friend, for your input. I always prefer knowing before I enter the belly of the beast what the likelihood is of sliding out the other end. Doesn’t mean I have to like the process, so much as that it benefits me in some way or another.
Claudsy
Hi there,
There is only one reason I might try a challenge like this and that is because it would force me to write every day. And for many writers this is a real challenge. Is there a specific word count that you have to reach with each post? In other words, is there a word minimum? If not, I’d say go for it. I know I will be signing up because I will be able to start writing my book about my relatives. You see, as you may remember, I live in a less than ideal family (this is a real understatement!!!) and marriage. And I have a tremendous amount to say about living with emotional vampires.
Oh well….here are my two cents worth. Please let me know your decision.
Good luck,
Irene Roth
As far as I’ve seen, there are no word count requirements, Irene. Although with everything else I have on my dinner table right now, I do believe one blog will be my limit for this challenge.
If you’re going to begin a book on your family, you could get the whole thing finished, at least in a long outline, by doing this challenge. Good for you.
It’s good to hear that you’re still up and running. Take care and God bless.
Claudsy
Hi Claudsy,
It was great to hear from you. Is your email the same as it was when we last spoke?
About the blog challenge, that is precisely my goal. I just hope to jot down as many ideas as poosible in way of outline and take it from there.
I would love to be in touch with you from time to time. You have been an inspiration to me and I would certainly love to have you back in my orbit.
Please email me when you get a chance. My email is the same as before.
Take care, and talk to you soon,
Irene
I’ve haven’t changed emails, except for very specific uses, so drop a line to me whenever you wish.
We’d certainly have quite a bit to catch up on. That’s certain.
Keep writing.
Claudsy
[...] NaBloPoMo (claudsy.wordpress.com) [...]
Yep! Good luck to all.
Claudsy