Which of the following statements is false?
a. etymology is the study of word origins.
b. etymology looks at the earliest known use of a word.
c. etymology looks at changes in form and use over time.
d. etymology is the study of the oral language of fairy tales.

Etymology is the study of the meaning of words, of the origin of words and of the way those meaning change.This includes answers a), b) and c) (a and b are actually very similar).

What etymology is not is it is not limited to the study of oral language- it also studies the written language. The correct answer is d).

The repetition of initial consonant sounds is called alliteration