Amateur Etymologists: Comprehension of Etymology and Influences of Folk Etymology

Most words have changed over the course of their journey from their origin languages to the form used in Modern English. Some words trace their origins back to common ancestors despite not having obviously similar spellings, such as the words tactile and tangible. Lay people’s awareness of such etymological links, conscious or subconscious, is largely uncharted, and this study investigates the generally neglected orthographical side of such thought. Findings promise to shed light on how vocabulary is stored in the brain, given some theories already hypothesise that words are stored morphemically.