Re: file searching/vista help

[Paul Lagasse pglagasse@xxxxxxxx]

Patricia M. Godfrey wrote:
>  The problem is that I suspect that many people misinterpret
> "willy-nilly" to mean "carelessly, sloppily, done `with the side of
> your foot'" (as my mother used to say).
You're a prescriptivist, eh. Most dicts now carelessly let many people
have their way with a second def of willy-nilly, which is appropriate
when you think about it.
> But I wonder if the English will-nill forms were invented to translate
> 'nolens volens' or if they're native.
I wonder how etymologists "determine" what word morphed into another,
especially in the absence of extensive written documentation. Who made
notes at the time on whether will I, nill I or will ye, nill ye or will
it, nill it became willy-nilly.
The AHD says nill comes from the Old English nyllan and drops it there,
but I'd not be surprised if the English usage of will and nill together,
which led to willy-nilly, arose as a translation of nolens volens
(though it was nice of our linguistic ancestors to reverse the order).

Paul Lagasse