Abstract
This essay proposes that etymology, the study of word roots, presents analogies with dreamwork, although parallels between them must be carefully framed. Quoting Freud and the seventh century encyclopedist Isidore of Seville, weaknesses in their use of etymological arguments are identified. Theories forged from word origins should not blur distinctions between word and thing or force linguistic process into support of a preconceived theoretical project. To explore Freud's notion of contraries in words and dreams, examples are offered of single Indo-European word roots capable of engendering divergent or contradictory modern meanings, as well as examples of divergent or contradictory modern meanings for words that have two or more derivations, e.g., the English word “dream” and French rêve. Tracing a place-name (Campidoglio) in an actual dream demonstrates that etymology and dreamwork are both reconstructive processes that should avoid determinism, accept uncertainty, and respect complexity.
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White, S. Dreamwork as Etymology. Dreaming 9, 11–21 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021312925825
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021312925825