#ngram

[fionaapplerocks]

Fiona vs FIONA ngram [x]

[thylawhiskers]

Look at all this

[midnightflaneuserie]

I was reading Middlemarch earlier this evening and came across the word "religiousness", which struck me as odd because I would've expected "religiosity" and presumed that adding "-ness" to the end of an adjective to make a noun would've become more popular in more recent times in the same way that the past tense is getting gradually standardised to "-ed".

However, I checked Google ngram,

and fascinatingly discovered this. Middlemarch was published in 1871 (same year Alice bands were invented. Fun fact that I know for some reason) so it makes sense that she used "religiousness".

I haven't done any research (😔) and am purely hypothesising here, but I'm presuming that prior to the 19th century, atheists (or nullifidians I suppose) were so few and far between in the English-speaking world that a term for how religious one was wasn't necessary, so piety and zeal fulfilled its roles.

As for why religiousness came before religiosity? Maybe "-ness" as a default dates back that far, but after it took off, some people began to 'correct' it to a word that fit better, and when that word became popular, it quickly replaced the clunkier version.

No idea though; I'll go and do some research and report back with any interesting findings

[nzcienif]

Okay you ever wondered when did a word first appear to be used in books or internet?

Let me introduce to you. Google ngram.

Google Books Ngram Viewer

So i searched for aromantic (among many other terms not shown), and guess what?

[ID: a graph showing an ngram search for three words: aromantic, aplatonic, agender. The line for aromantic fluctuates in the low during 19th century, then spikes upwards after year 2000.]

Are you telling me that aromantic as a term actually appear in the 1800s? Now I'm sus. But I'm also curious. And Google conveniently provided me links to check.

I shouldn't have been so surprised. Do you remember how aromantic is always corrected as aromatic in spell check, and why people assume aromantic is aromatic?

Behold, fellow people:

[ID: a search result showing where the term 'aromantic' has been used in the 1800s. Excerpts include: plant pot - herbs and other aromantic; the flames soon consumed the sacrifice, and on its extinction, which was ludden, an aromantic odour]

Like what the hell. Aromantic odour. Herbs and other aromantic. Aromantic plants.

I have no idea whether aromantic is a typo or archaic spelling for aromantic, especially after reading this line "the flames foon confuned the sacrifice".

Anyway, more research next time. I fear this is going to be a huge time sink in my near future.

[mikewasagift]

[magicturtle]

Frequency of usage of Magic’s 5 iconic creatures (angel, dragon, demon, hydra, sphynx) in literature from 1800 to 2008.

[inziladun]

So I just found out this [link] thing that lets you search the use of words and expressions through google book’s archives?? I’m still not entirely sure how it works and just copying the mold i stumbled upon, but it’s really useful for my job actually, I’m just disappointed Portuguese is not available yet!

[superlinguo]

Amongst the Mongers of Edinburgh

These three photos are from one corner of Edinburgh. Monger isn’t a word that I’ve seen a lot of, but perhaps it’s not surprising it’s making a comeback given the connotations of local, authentic and artisanal that are all the rage in food trends these days. When I was in primary school, and before I knew what it meant, it was a pejorative term, because it sounded like mong or mongoloid, which has been a term used for people with Down Syndrome. I cringe now to think of it, but there it is.

Monger has a long history in English. Here’s the Etymonline entry:

Old English mangere "merchant, trader, broker," from mangian "to traffic, trade," from Proto-Germanic *mangojan (source also of Old Saxon mangon, Old Norse mangari "monger, higgler"), from Latin mango (genitive mangonis) "dealer, trader, slave-dealer," related to mangonium "displaying of wares." Not in Watkins or de Vaan, but Buck (with Tucker) describes it as "one who adorns his wares to give them an appearance of greater value" and writes it is probably a loan-word based on Greek manganon "means of charming or bewitching." Used in combinations in English since at least 12c.; since 16c. chiefly with overtones of petty and disreputable (for example ballad-monger "inferior poet," 1590s).

As Google’s Ngram viewer shows, monger has been on a downhill slide in use since the 1930s. It’s time has certainly come again, at least in this corner of Edinburgh.