Athel and its Relatives: Origin and Decline of a Noble Family of Words.

In this paper I would first like to show what the problems are with the etymology of the Germanic athel words, then how the words of the athel family thrive and decline in Old and Middle English, and how another family of words takes over all their functions, and finally how the model of change taught by this case applies to the obscure origin of the athel family itself. I have written on athel (<+aþal-) before. Here I would like to present an account that is more succinct and adds details of a model that makes the central etymology, which some may think far-fetched, appear rather ordinary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]