Backronym Creation and Poetic Etymology (Introduction and Description of Two New Artistic Devices)

This article tries to describe two artistic devices which have not been paid attention yet. In the first device, i.e. backronym, the poet/ writer considers each phoneme/ grapheme of a simple word as an initial phoneme/ grapheme of another word, so that a simple word is considered as an acronym. This process adds some secondary meanings to the central meaning of the word which do not exist in its root and structure. In the second device, i.e. poetic etymology (or etymological deviation), the poet/ writer forges an etymology to impose one’s desired meaning to the word. In spite of folk etymology, etymological deviation is a conscious and artistic process.
 
Extended abstract
1.Introduction
In classical texts, especially mystical ones, we occasionally encounter terms perceived as acronyms of several other terms. For instance, taṣawwuf (spelled as tṣwf) “sufism” has been viewed as an acronym for tawba “repentance”, ṣidq “honesty”, waraʿ “piety”, and fanāʾ “annihilation”. This process can be termed “backronym creation.” The first part of this article addresses this process. The second part is dedicated to poetic etymology or etymological deviation, where a poet or writer, despite knowing the true origins of words, creatively attributes common roots to unrelated words within a poetic context.
2.Theoretical Framework
In this research, we deal with two main processes, i. e. backronym creation and poetic etymology, which are defined linguistically and compared to each other as well as being discussed and analyzed using various examples from different texts. 
3.Methodology
The data collection method of this article is library method and the authors' research method is descriptive and analytical.
4.Discussion
4.1. The First Artistic Device: Backronym Creation
Acronym creation is a process where a new word is formed by combining the initial graphemes or phonemes of the component words of a phrase, producing a pronounceable word (cf. Bauer, 1996: 237-238; Matthews, 2011: s.v. acronym), such as ISBN, which stands for International Standard Book Number. Conversely, there is another linguistic process, termed “backronym creation,” wherein a creative language user (who is usually a poet or writer) perceives a simple word as an acronym, thereby adding secondary meanings to its original sense. Consider the following example:
Thus, when they found that the word taṣawwuf (spelled as tṣwf, “sufism”) consists of four letters, they judged that each letter indicates a position among these four: the ‘t’ stands for tawba (“repentance”), the ‘s’ stands for ṣidq (“honesty”), the ‘w’ stands for waraʿ (“piety”), and the ‘f’ stands for fanāʾ (“annihilation”) (Yawāqīt al-ʿUlūm wa Darārī al-Nujūm, 1345/1966: 69).
The writer here perceives taṣawwuf, a simple word, as an acronym and thus creates an artistic phrase.
4.2. The Second Artistic Device: Poetic Etymology
Etymology is a branch of linguistics dedicated to studying the origins, history, and transformations in form and meaning of words. Various types of etymology include scientific etymology, pseudo-scientific etymology, and popular etymology. Scientific etymology adheres to linguistic principles, particularly historical linguistics. Due to its complexity, some enthusiasts resort to pseudo-scientific etymology based on their limited scholarly capacity. Popular etymology usually involves confusing similar-sounding words (ibid.; O’Grady et al., 2001: 335; Matthews, 2011: s.v. popular etymology). This non-scientific effort by laypeople attempts to link the sound and meaning of a word using personal inference rather than linguistic rules. Not only laypeople but also many educated individuals and even some lexicographers sometimes fall into this trap (Bateni, 1385/2006: 142-143).
Post-Islamic Persian writers, driven by personal interest, have endeavored to trace and understand Persian words. However, their lack of linguistic knowledge often led them astray. Boroumand-Saeid (1383/2004: 10-17) provides examples of popular etymology (see also Minovi, 1330/1951; Zakeri, 1372/1993; idem, 2005). Folk etymology is also observed in classical texts. A famous example is the etymology given for the word Rustam in the Shahnameh:
birastam biguftā γam āmad ba sar /  nihādand Rustam-š nām-i pisar [She said, ‘I was relieved (berastam) from sorrow.’/ They named the boy Rustam] (Ferdowsi, 2017: 1/268).
As seen, popular etymology arises from ignorance without an intention to create beauty, while poets and writers sometimes deliberately engage in etymology. We term this “poetic etymology.” Consider the following example:
Extelâs (“embezzlement”): […] Opinions on the naming of this word vary. […] Another group derives extelâs from extelâl-e havâs (“mental disturbance”) and thus exempts embezzlers from punishment due to this. Poem:
   ‘Extelâs (“embezzlement”) comes from extelâl-e havâs (“mental disturbance”), O friend, / For a sane person would not engage in such a deed.’ (Tavallali, 1348/1969: 274).
It should be noted that various types of etymology lie on a continuum from scientific to popular etymology, and sometimes distinguishing the exact type requires further research.
4.3. Common Features of Backronym Creation and Poetic Etymology
In both artistic devices discussed in this article, the poet or writer imposes their intended meaning onto the root and structure of a word. Additionally, other similarities between these processes are as follows:
Transparency: In both processes, a simple and opaque word is transformed into a non-simple word or an acronym, thereby making its meaning transparent.
Deviation: Deviation is the departure from the rules governing the standard language and non-conformity with conventional language (Safavi, 1381/2002: 1445; for types of deviation, see Leech, 1969: 42ff.). Given that deviation occurs at various language levels, the authors propose that poetic etymology can be termed etymological deviation. Similarly, backronym creation can be seen as a form of morphological deviation.
Aetiologia: In the artistic device of aetiologia (in Persian: Ḥusn-e Taʿlīl, lit. elegance in assigning a cause), a poet provides an artistic justification for a scientific phenomenon. If we consider the derivation and etymology of words a scientific phenomenon, backronym creation and poetic etymology also offer artistic justifications for word derivation and etymology.
5.Conclusion
The two artistic devices introduced in this article share a similarity: in both, an intended meaning is imposed onto the structure of a word that does not originally possess it, and this process occurs consciously and artistically. In backronym creation, a simple word is perceived as an acronym for several words, thereby absorbing their meanings. In etymological deviation, an alternative root is intentionally attributed to a word, a root that conveys the poet’s or writer's intended meaning.
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