ALGORITHMIC ETYMOLOGY. AI-GENERATED ETYMOLOGIES AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE MODERN ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN LEXICON

Abstract

This article examines the emerging practice of algorithmic etymology: the use of artificial-intelligence systems, especially large language models (LLMs), to generate, explain, and circulate accounts of word origins. It considers how AI-generated etymologies may influence contemporary English and Russian vocabulary through language learning, online publishing, translation, and everyday digital communication. The article argues that generative systems can make etymological information more accessible and help researchers formulate hypotheses, compare cognates, and identify semantic patterns. At the same time, fluent but weakly evidenced explanations can blur the distinction between historical linguistic evidence and plausible-sounding narrative. A comparative framework is proposed for evaluating AI-generated etymologies in the two languages, with attention to borrowing, semantic change, transliteration, false cognates, and the different historical layers of English and Russian lexicons. The paper is conceptual rather than an empirical measurement of user behaviour; its claims are therefore framed as analytical propositions and a basis for future corpus-based research. It concludes that AI should be treated as an assistant for etymological inquiry, not as an independent authority, and recommends source transparency, uncertainty labels, and verification against specialist dictionaries and historical corpora.