The inevitability of folk etymology: a case of collective reality and invisible hands

Folk etymologies often begin as highly individual constructions, but yet seem to conform to some kind of collective reality, which enables language users to accommodate folk etymologised words with apparent ease. In this paper, we will explore the semantic and cultural nature of folk etymology, the mechanisms underlying it, and the insights it offers regarding the society of its speakers in order to attempt a more specific description, identification and interpretation of the process of folk etymology than what is currently available. We will also show that, given the special circumstances which produce them, folk etymologies and the changes involved seem almost inevitable.