Unveiling Common Myths in Amateur Linguistics Debunked by Science

Many believe that the sky is named because it lacks demons, or that the word "bogatyr" means "to steal from God." Let's delve into why such amateur linguistic claims don't hold up under scientific scrutiny.

Understanding Amateur Linguistics

In school, we learn grammar rules, punctuation, and spelling. But beyond writing correctly, many language enthusiasts are curious about the origins of words and the nature of language itself. Professional linguistics approaches these questions using scientific methods, while amateur linguistics often relies on intuition without evidence.

This blend of curiosity and lack of linguistic knowledge often leads to simplistic or incorrect conclusions—like linking the Russian words for "God," "steal," and "bogatyr." However, etymological dictionaries confirm that "bogatyr" comes from the ancient Turkic word baɣatur, meaning "brave warrior."

Fluency in a language can create the illusion that we fully understand it just by intuition. Yet, just as most people encounter chemistry, biology, and physics daily without mastering them, language requires scientific study. Historically, myths about alchemy, diseases, and lightning have been debunked by science. Linguistics benefits from scientific methods too, but amateur linguistics is often mistakenly seen as easier.

We have identified key patterns in amateur linguistics and explain why they are misleading, drawing from renowned linguist Andrey Anatolyevich Zaliznyak's book "Notes on Amateur Linguistics."

Signs of Amateur Linguistics

1. Arbitrary Connections Between Similar Words

Comparing English letter and Russian leti or Turkish kulak and Russian kulak might seem poetic, but caution is needed. Some similar words share roots, like Polish uroda (beauty) and Russian urod (freak), both from a Slavic root, yet their meanings evolved differently, supported by linguistic research.

Languages have limited sounds—Russian has 42 phonemes represented by 33 letters, lacking nasal vowels found in French. Amateur linguistics often ignores such phonetic differences, simplifying foreign words into Russian letters and overestimating similarities. Given the vast number of languages and words, accidental resemblances are inevitable.

Establishing a true connection requires more than superficial similarity.

2. Overlooking Historical Language Changes

Amateur linguistics frequently compares modern words within or across languages without considering centuries of linguistic evolution. Words that look alike today may have been very different historically.

For instance, some claim that 5th-century BCE Etruscan inscriptions can be "read" as Russian words like "whole" or "in the beginning." Yet, linguistic research shows that ancestors of modern Russian pronounced these concepts quite differently 2,500 years ago.

Professionals study consistent sound changes affecting all relevant words, not isolated cases.

3. Inventing Word Meanings

Take the Russian word for nearsightedness, often fancifully explained as "seeing at arm's length." Amateur linguistics finds such interpretations logical, but professional linguistics traces the word from an earlier form blizozorokiy, derived from zorok meaning "vision," with sound changes over time.

Scientific conclusions rely on analyzing historical usage and sound shifts, unlike folk etymologies.

4. Ignoring Word Morphemes

Claims that "nebesa" (heavens) means "no demons," or that "radost" (joy) relates to the Egyptian sun god Ra, neglect the morphological breakdown of words.

Morphemes are the smallest meaningful units—roots, prefixes, suffixes, and endings. For example, "prinesyonny" (brought) breaks down into a prefix (approach/completion), root (carry), suffix (adjective marker), and ending (grammatical case). Random fragments like "pr" or "ny" don't convey meaning alone.

Similarly, "nebesa" consists of the root -neb-, plural suffix -es-, and nominative ending -a, not "ne-" + "besa." The word "radost" contains the root -rad- and suffix -ost-, which forms abstract nouns, unrelated to Egyptian mythology.

Amateur linguistics often arbitrarily splits words, while professionals rely on established morphological analysis.

5. Reading Words Backwards

Some claim that the city name "Samara" reversed becomes "A-Ramas," meaning "Rome," based on consonant similarities. This approach misunderstands writing systems—Russian is read left to right, Arabic right to left, but pronunciation remains consistent.

Backward reading is more of a word game than scientific methodology. Amateur linguistics sometimes misapplies this concept, assuming reversed spellings reveal hidden meanings.

6. Free Handling of Letters and Sounds

Professional linguistics requires systematic sound changes across all words in similar contexts. Amateur linguistics might suggest isolated sound shifts, like "flot" (fleet) evolving from "plot" (raft), or "Tver" once being "tabor" (camp), without evidence.

Vowels are often dismissed by amateurs as unimportant, yet languages with vowel letters follow rules for their usage. Ignoring vowels overlooks the primacy of spoken language over writing.

7. Elevating One’s Native Language as the Ancestor of All

Amateur linguistics often positions Russian as the root of all European and even global languages, ignoring well-established linguistic relationships.

Imagine a fiery-haired grandmother named Maria with daughters and granddaughters varying in hair shades. One granddaughter mistakenly believes she is the mother of others simply because of resemblance, ignoring their true ancestry. Similarly, speakers of related languages may falsely claim their language as the original ancestor.

No language remains unchanged since ancient times, nor holds a mythical "divine power."

The Risks of Amateur Linguistics

Amateur linguistics often parallels alternative history, which can be harmless fun or a breeding ground for xenophobia and nationalist agendas. Promoting "true knowledge" sect-like teachings can manipulate public opinion, sometimes for profit through paid courses promising secret insights.

The best defense against pseudoscientific theories is cultivating critical thinking skills.

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