<ch>≡/k/ を表わす例は，一般にギリシア語からの借用語にみられるとされる．中英語などに <c> などで取り込まれたものが，初期近代英語期にかけて語源的綴字 (etymological_spelling) の原理によって，ギリシア語風に <ch> と綴り直された例も少なくないものと思われる．Carney (219--20) の説明に耳を傾けよう．
Distribution of <ch>
The <ch> spelling of /k/ is restricted almost entirely to §Greek words: archaeology, archaism, archangel, architect, archive, bronchial, catechism, chaos, character, charisma, chasm, chemist, chiropody, chlorine, choir, cholesterol, chord, chorus, christian, chromium, chronic, cochlea, echo, epoch, eunuch, hierarchy, lichen, malachite, matriarch, mechanic, monarch, ochre, oligarch, orchestra, orchid, pachyderm, patriarch, psyche, schematic, stochastic, stomach, strychnite, technical, trachea, triptych, etc. This is by no means a compete list, but it serves to show the problems of using subsystems in deterministic procedures. Some words with <ch>≡/k/ have been in common use in English for centuries (anchor, school) and came by way of Latin rather than directly from Greek. Lachrymose and sepulchre are strictly Latin in origin, but were mistakenly thought in antiquity to have a Greek connection. Many words with <ch>≡/k/ are highly technical complex words used by scientists for whom the constituent §Greek morphemes, such as {pachy} or {derm}, have a separate semantic identity. In some cases the Greek meanings are irrelevant to the technical use of the words since they involve obscure metaphors. One does not normally need to know that orchids have anything to do with testicles --- it's actually the shape of the roots. There appear to be no explicit phonological markers of §Greek-ness in the words listed above. The morphological criterion of word-formation potential is the best marker, but this works best with the technical end of the range. We can hardly cue the <ch> in school by calling up scholastic.
興味深いのは lachrymose や sepulchre などは本来はラテン語由来なのだが，誤ってギリシア語由来と勘違いされて <ch> と綴られている，というくだりだ．ラテン語においてすら，ギリシア語に基づいた語源的綴字があったらしいということになる．せめて綴字においてくらいは威信言語にあやかりたいという思いは，多くの言語文化や時代において共通しているのだろうか．
・ Carney, Edward. A Survey of English Spelling. Abingdon: Routledge, 1994.
Powered by WinChalow1.0rc4 based on chalow