Blog – Carli Liles

So, I love learning etymology (that is the study of words). This is not to be confused with entomology, which is the study of insects (not a fan). So much so, that I will frequently grab my phone in the middle of a conversation with friends (thanks for putting up with it) if I hear a random word or phrase that intrigues me. Why do we say something has “gone pear-shaped”, or why do Americans pronounce ‘herbs’ with a silent ‘h’ and the British with an audible one, or perhaps why do we pronounce ‘salmon’ the way we do?

Well, on that last one, I’m going to expound a bit today. I was out to dinner with friends the other night and one of them randomly asked me (as he knows I’m word-nerd) why we don’t pronounce the ‘l’ in salmon. It was on the menu and it piqued his interest. Another interesting bit of back-story is that I am long-time friends with a family whose last name is “Salmon” in which you DO pronounce the ‘l’ and it is also the name of a little municipality in Texas where that family is assumed to have settled many years ago. So, I’ve always known that ‘SaLmon’ was the family or place, while ‘salmon’ was the fish. And I do LOVE a good salmon dish for dinner. I cook it often in our home.

But back to the original question – Why do we not pronounce the ‘l’ in ‘salmon?’ My original guess was that is probably came to American English via French, which wasn’t far off. Many of the places one can actually catch salmon regularly in North America are in Canada (though this has expanded to much of the US today), so French Canadian could maybe have something to do with it as well. Turns out, I wasn’t too far off the mark.

So it is generally believed that we derive the name for the fish ‘salmon’ from the Latin ‘salmonem’ which is likely derivative from ‘salire’ which is Latin for ‘to leap.’ That Latin then became Anglo-French ‘samoun’, Old French ‘salmun’, and Modern French ‘saumon’. This is where we get our pronunciation of the word. Though, when deciding on proper spelling, it seems the English wanted to harken back to the original Latin, so they included the ‘l’ in the spelling but retained the French pronunciation. If you’ve ever studied French pronunciation at all, you’ll know they decide which letters to actually pronounce like they’re rolling a D20 for each letter and only multiples of 3 count.

So, there you have it. That is why we pronounce ‘salmon’ as “sam-un”, but still spell with that structural support ‘l.’

Sources:

https://web.archive.org/web/20190402194009/https://www.etymonline.com/word/salmon

https://www.pronounceitright.com/pronunciation/salmon-10617

Welcome. Come on in! Sit down and put your feet up. No, I don’t care that you’ve still got your shoes on. Yes, we wear shoes in our house basically 24/7. That’s what happens when you have a giant dog who doesn’t know how to drink water and thus leaves small ponds all over the floor all day, every day. Trust me; you step in a cold puddle barefoot or in socks twice in the same hour, you’ll learn quickly to keep your damn slippers on your feet. It’s worth it for dry socks and a hydrated, healthy pup.

In this (online) house, we love animals, especially the cute ones (don’t underestimate my ability to find cuteness in the most unsuspecting critters). We also love the Oxford comma – you don’t want to fight me on this, dark chocolate, Cheetos puffs, reverse harem romance novels, Shep’s BBQ, long naps, singing in the car with the windows down, and long soaks in a tub. We do NOT love white “chocolate” (it’s not really chocolate, folks, give up), condescension, society’s general approach to “cuss words,” and prejudice. Yes, I’m aware of the irony of that last one.

I’m just a simple lady trying to write the ever-present story in my mind. I’m also a born-and-raised grammar enthusiast. Thanks, Mom. And I don’t keep much private about myself, so prepare yourself. There are few topics about myself that I deem “off-limits.” However, once we start involving other people in my life, that lens can shift rapidly.

Currently, I’m working on a novel (Title: TBD) that focuses on Lilly, who runs a brothel and is a complete math nerd. The story opens with some legal trouble and the inter-planetary bounty hunters arriving to take her into custody for her trial. It turns out politicians are assholes no matter the solar system or century, and one got his feelings hurt by a young woman with some throwing knives. Not that Lil’ would know anything about that 😉 Okay, fine, she’s got it on video and feels no shame. Lilly will protect those in need, especially when under the roof of the Red Lotus. Did I mention that those very handsome bounty hunters have dog DNA edited into theirs for enhanced senses, and Lilly is a cat gene-edit? Not all of us are born with balance and poise, so we get it where we can. And about 80% of the people on staff have some sort of animal gene edit as well. They’re as easy to come by as tattoos but far more useful.

In the same way that certain aesthetics are worth more to the bottom-feeders of the world in present-day reality, certain edits are more valuable on the black market in this new solar system. Human trafficking was a problem before the great migration, and it turns out, humans will always show their greed when given the opportunity. So, certain ‘edits’ tend to go missing more than others. Lilly and her chosen family have helped many get out of trouble and choose their own path forward. But things might start to hit a little closer to home before anyone is ready for it.

The History of Weird American English Words and Phrases – Salmon

Howdy, Friends!