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* K# h: d' A A J: k3 a1、Where English comes from
+ W6 f1 m1 }6 x3 }# F7 jThe English language has existed for hundreds of years.7 ]3 h$ {4 B% Q0 |. D
Many words came into English from various European languages.7 {2 E, M3 ?' |2 [5 V
For example, St. Augustine and other Latin-speaking( |& s1 q2 E K# l u1 a4 i
missionaries to England used such words as bishop and7 E9 F. F& o- ~. b
priest. Latin was the language of scholarship and religion.- {$ B: y4 T6 q2 I: n3 ?: S" X5 [
Wherever Latin scholars, missionaries, and government officials
) b3 x% U! H) ?exerted important influence, Latin words became4 `/ y; n G2 Y0 x) P
known. When the Scandinavians invaded and settled in Britain,
8 L3 g( s4 l* Jsome words beginning with sk- were adopted into English.$ l4 ^" p2 G. g$ u) w7 d
For example, skill, skirt, and sky. The Scandinavians3 {% R7 w, K- y" q4 B& m
also contributed important pronouns such as their, them,1 z8 ^4 y# u5 v3 k0 [8 j" s- P
and they. Words of French origin include army, blue, chair,
- _! Q! S: h- W: W2 i$ idinner, government, jolly, mayor, paper, and towel. Balcony,( T5 f) p% N H
piano, and pizza come from Italy; fiesta and siesta,
; ^- D8 P% d4 Yfrom Spain; orchestra, from Greece; boomerang, from Australia;3 {" {) @% w+ D
vodka, from Russia; and igloo, from the Eskimos.5 ?$ j5 e' e* A
English is always growing and changing. Words constantly
* H g( Q) _7 Eare being added and falling into disuse. Many words that
9 Q( x; f" L8 kyou hear, speak, and read today were not part of the language% ~- w- Z7 m1 U9 }5 |& _/ e
your grandparents used. Look in a dictionary published c/ _$ H5 Q1 h9 ]7 |6 l
at that time and you will not find such words as astronaut,
" y- m! f. `, t/ ~" p* V" Tculture shock, miniskirt, rolamite, and microfiche.
" V8 p1 |# P( l+ V* W; @Every time new inventions, scientific discoveries, art forms,+ Q4 g$ B3 j1 `8 P5 R7 z
or fashions appear that do not have names to identify them, c: c, x7 Y4 J, P: h0 p8 _% i
new words must be invented or old words given new applications,
# Y( k* q$ j( g, R+ e9 ]5 Ior taken from other languages.4 D. ]# x* G5 t
When words are not used, they become obsolete. Obsolete/ A$ _1 V1 g# @. m
words are included in the dictionary because they are8 K+ b/ M& t* X+ ?
part of our history and our culture. You will want to know
# q! \/ a9 a) u1 a% Q9 {: m/ Qwhat they mean when you read them in old books or hear9 ^5 v/ @7 M4 A1 H) e
them used in plays written a long time ago. Before the automobile
4 Z$ t! B7 B/ G* H- `was a common form of transportation, people traveled/ d+ ^3 g1 q- R1 z$ c( n1 b4 h; {
in buggies drawn by horses. Now when you hear or* Z, k5 ^" B0 u+ H9 e6 B
see the word buggy you are inclined to think of something+ a2 |& J1 P, t/ [! T
old-fashioned or insect-ridden.
; H8 n6 f8 t l2 a4 Q! \ Many words have changed their meanings. For example,* Y/ p* e+ e- v+ ~# @/ L( o
sly and crafty people were once described as "pretty." At
, H8 R3 `# n4 A. v# Pone time, when people wanted to picture someone as stupid
& k" A/ r; D/ G, g- rand ignorant they referred to that person as "nice." Today,7 t! U# |! ^6 l8 N3 V( a
if someone tells us we are "nice" and "pretty," we feel flattered,
7 f6 R! p0 x, snot insulted.& W. D8 k3 l1 r
These are only a few of the ways in which language
/ F: q1 K% j3 v5 W" n: m/ \changes and grows. By knowing how words become part of
* ?7 T8 O; f; G9 O5 {5 c. F/ xa language, you discover important clues to social, political,: @3 r: }1 l; n. r
and cultural changes that take place in the history of a
; m2 `3 A7 [! S$ h4 H) l* kcountry using that language.
3 C( i/ m) v' b+ b% P- k The story of how English originated is a fascinating one.3 e& p3 p# E, l
0 O4 r/ ]2 y$ ?* v) |$ |# |) \How English began& z& C! G( |6 h/ l) Y
English comes from a common ancestral language believed
1 K0 T3 V& Y c l- Dto have existed a very long time ago. It has been called2 Q8 k* B: s D
Indo-European. About 4,500 years ago, the people who3 s- P( n2 r$ n' C0 ]
spoke varying forms of this language split into groups that. k E9 X+ p5 H( @8 M
drifted into Europe and parts of Asia. Different speech communities$ P8 i0 ?- [8 ^6 t
developed within these widespread groups eventually8 I' r: E! C7 k% t
giving rise to several languages including Latin, from/ H3 x" w p0 H" P# F: Y
which many of the languages spoken in Europe today developed.3 I- T, Q' N5 ? Z
One group of Indo-European languages is known as2 ], w( O* h4 J7 Z! t8 H U; t
Germanic, and this is the primary parent language of English
8 _( a5 u$ Y' N, Mand German.
2 l9 P) w% N& _; ]' @4 G0 O2 N7 M Warrior-adventurers, who spoke Germanic, invaded what
2 R3 Q# S# j9 |3 [0 @5 H cis now Great Britain about A.D. 450. The invaders—called! M: a0 k* |& \; j& e9 N6 }) b
Angles, Saxons, and Jutes—all spoke similar dialects. The
4 n3 M1 a: A5 S) t) C. G6 k1 F4 Ypeople they conquered, known as Britons, spoke Celtic. The: k& N+ r. |! f& H+ `9 Q
Celtic language included Latin words because conquering; m8 h/ Y1 I- R! n
Roman troops occupied Britain from A.D. 43 until the 400's.# G5 I! r* \: c
The troops had to return home to defend Rome against invading5 P. [$ A6 Y- o- L3 C
armies. The Germanic tribes conquered Britain after
( s% i. u- j8 N, z: nthe Romans left.
, o* {3 N+ m2 A" O, V2 U As the invading tribes took over and settled in Britain, the9 M# b3 m5 i+ u; x
Celtic languages gradually retreated. Since the Celtic people
2 k$ D+ [4 {: R7 |% W; Rwere forced to communicate with their rulers, the history of6 h4 G. t: V1 C9 Z4 {+ j( k
the English language begins with the take-over of Britain by
. A( O, I3 m3 j. p* Rthe Germanic tribes. As a result, Celtic made only a small2 Y) t# m$ L- I
contribution to the English vocabulary with words such as4 I2 J, s$ ^" v0 \/ h+ t" @" ]
crag and bin. However, many place names were adopted$ B5 Q' F! d$ H2 c( j- i2 d' c
from the Celtic. Among them are Avon, Kent, London,2 M$ f1 z9 y1 N0 S
Ouse, and Thames. Small groups of people living in Ireland,: E7 g& h' ], x8 f6 s
Wales, and the Scottish Highlands still speak varieties of Celtic, g6 E& q1 n* Y! l
such as Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, and recently. V! e& c% R5 M8 p* {
revived Irish.
5 ?5 K* v4 c% x, ^2 ?$ i7 S U, E1 P
# O1 J |2 M" K9 M W D9 b# ?7 ROld English2 h! L' T9 p q \9 V) b( n1 |3 s
The Angles and Saxons occupied a large part of Britain. The
; B* Q9 f z7 ~& N* G: m' fname of one of the former tribes eventually became the6 P" u* ?# U9 p6 N W/ d" N* P- G
name of the land they occupied, England. The Anglo-Saxon
, y% u' o7 m/ J mlanguage, now usually called Old English, became firmly established4 O( H( U, J6 W7 ^4 s
in Britain in the period from the A.D. 500's to 1066.
6 n) R& O8 \: K# p* _) D7 ] Even as this happened, changes were taking place. Latinspeaking4 v4 u& D6 E$ i2 y* r& j
Roman and Celtic missionaries under St. Augustine,9 d% J$ X2 `/ N2 f: h8 W
began spreading Christianity in Britain. The introduction of
" n( Q' x5 D1 LChristianity exerted a great impact on the English language.
8 h1 t/ W, Y; ^Religion brought with it many new ideas and customs. And
( R0 _) r* ]% y9 p, W: \" e- o/ j7 zChristianity used Latin. In their attempt to identify and deal/ n- q$ T1 a: Z. n
with all these new ideas and customs, the Anglo-Saxons did; s! j0 f9 V; u& @( _
not hesitate to borrow from Latin the special vocabulary6 \6 t# v6 a4 a# y6 t6 v$ A
needed for the new religious life. Among the words taken# i* M3 J* I7 f2 L9 K
from Church Latin which still survive are:7 i) n% p9 n5 @. N& [& t
- f8 J; b% B2 g) i# q
Latin Old English Modern English1 j$ V. c$ Q5 X- m$ x
abbatis abbod abbot
. x$ Q' `3 k& u/ U, scandela candel candle3 Y$ o* D1 S H4 o
altare altar altar
4 p$ _# R; w6 W8 ]amen amen amen
4 [2 \. y7 i0 R0 ?4 {) F4 T& yapostolus apostol apostle
9 W0 i* Y* e" u; |6 i7 q( {3 G! I/ ?4 _( O) F! m% r0 {; o
However, users of Old English did not borrow as heavily( W* h; ?) X0 o$ J! a
from Latin and other languages in this period as they did) q8 V$ g# |4 W- A# z5 z8 \
later when there was greater communication with the Continent.3 {9 p( Q3 Z9 X$ }5 X0 ~
Sometimes they changed the meanings of native
" ]1 E+ Z) D- V& `7 kwords. The word for Easter (eastron) originally was the/ N5 t* Q" D* f+ L4 Q ` p
name for the spring festival honoring the goddess of dawn.
, \2 u# @. [: S% X, p2 a; s" tCeol (Yule), the name of the festival held to celebrate the
, U$ F% B+ Q) P/ G% d. d" z( ppassing of the shortest day of the year, came to denote
3 L5 F8 Q) a3 d# f7 |# gChristmas.
' F% g; E. Y1 M9 }8 E7 J Native ingenuity was shown in creating new words by d; `* w# l, h" p% _
combining two native words in much the same way as we
. c9 H, n0 _! K9 Q6 ]now combine words such as space and worthy to form
2 D; U1 e) i8 D3 _+ mspaceworthy. Old English words such as Icececraft (leechcraft),
) N/ A, V/ y" c5 c( wmeaning medicine, and handboc (handbook), meaning- P; U9 G% i P ?/ Z. `8 l; C
manual, illustrate this practice.0 {7 x5 [7 A: \
The growth of the Old English vocabulary during this' W" i: k8 T& Y* u
period of language history reflects the growth of English culture. i/ h3 ~, d# U/ M- e* K$ E
Because of the Church's influence, scholarship was encouraged7 L( h' h. Q' Z9 v7 u* r, f: r
and Britain began its rise as one of the intellectual
9 Q2 o7 L5 A8 D4 fleaders of Europe.
* ]# y8 H! y+ p& k7 B4 m Toward the end of the 700's, hardy Vikings from Denmark,& I5 e) k3 U5 L! L2 h+ p) _4 ~5 v) T
Norway, and Sweden began invading and settling in
6 A, e* j" T& T' Y; A* X- wmany parts of Britain. By the 1000's, a Danish king ruled5 H8 B5 O5 Z4 b3 w$ W/ i
Britain. As a result of the invasions from the Danish peninsula,# a5 i/ N( g" \& g) O
many Scandinavian words became part of English.' \: H$ }) P2 A# m& i% [
These did not identify new ideas and objects. They were everyday0 f7 g. X& r" [. @, A
words for which the English already had terms and expressions.
) R2 q9 R9 D, }* } Why did the Scandinavian words exist side by side with
! @3 O) R: U& S* ^! dEnglish words instead of replacing them? The Scandinavian! D2 I9 s3 p6 F+ r6 K
invaders were Germanic people like the Anglo-Saxons. Their
a" h5 ]8 n" `2 S% H: \6 ncultures were similar and their languages enough alike so8 _9 ?9 K( E$ N8 z2 \ X8 g
that they understood one another. Many words were exactly
# i) c4 T5 F$ y. b7 y- _- Aalike, such as father, husband, house, life, man, mother,
7 v3 ]+ G9 G+ m- a6 A/ s6 Ysummer, wife, and winter. Other words were so much alike
5 H! {5 E; T2 X8 ~( ~they were used interchangeably., X9 I) f8 U: J1 m4 B$ Q
Although the Scandinavians and the English fought each
5 W8 s8 |7 y( D) O( O' rother, many Scandinavians settled peacefully in Britain, married
5 G. d/ X; `! E* sEnglish women, and raised families. Often both languages& |' @9 e8 p( K4 U ?$ N# ?4 a
were spoken in the same household. Where different& W* W. |& L( h- y0 S; L2 V
words existed for the same thing, the Old English word usually
8 n8 d8 r' ` e" P# d# Xwon out, but there were some exceptions. The results of
2 L7 j1 [5 b) v$ w* K6 q/ Uthis absorption of language through close contact is seen in
- m u. L. [: i# I$ M/ Dthe histories of such words from Scandinavia as skirt, skill,+ x( j' R3 M+ A9 P) N
window, leg, gasp, birth, glitter, they, their, them, egg.
5 o) u: u6 n2 u2 q- t2 U/ A+ {3 f Scholars believe that at least 900 words of Scandinavian1 w( Q) x9 [1 Z0 T
origin have survived in modern Standard English. Many8 `, E' P; Z7 i. `
more are still in use in Great Britain. They are found in dialects* ^1 I- G0 R U- [5 S
spoken in regions heavily settled by the Swedes,* C; S; Q- ?" t( s7 N' ~
Danes, and Norse in those early days.& A* T( o: Z- O# X: R( m" }- L
/ O5 G( S* I9 h Y( k. d! y
Middle English
. A+ C- S" W8 a% [6 \, H- I3 COld English began to undergo a great change when the Normans% q R( ~( `+ ?6 O
invaded England from France in 1066. Until then, in
# `2 X6 J# J1 R; I, y3 p+ Tspite of the Latin brought in by the introduction of Christianity,
- j) z0 s$ H% L! Dthe influence on English was overwhelmingly Germanic.) d x# }& R4 c( t! i- J0 _
The Normans began a process that brought many
3 a4 l' A% p C* l3 L. FFrench words into the English language. They replaced the
# S$ S, |6 V LEnglish as rulers, chief landholders, and church officials and2 _8 n0 z" v/ [: i
Norman-French became the language of the ruling class.
, p0 j" ?- H& k: s0 R+ hHowever, the common people continued to speak English.# ^* w$ ~0 ~8 x9 F% _( i
Norman-French and Old,English existed side by side until
7 J3 ~ u( _ @) upolitical and social changes began to favor the use of English# i" A/ B7 H! M! { O+ n( D
by all classes. The Normans lost control of their territory in
! M' k: i; E! F% ?6 K1 t$ T; HFrance in the early 1200's. Confined to Britain, the Normans& w' [3 r1 W5 R8 s0 d; _
began to learn English. Eventually, it replaced French as the
+ i: W* ^5 X9 _3 g; c( k" V6 U" Ilanguage of the ruling class, the schools, and the courts. By' X* h5 K/ V" G
the end of what is known as the Middle English period# Y; X7 m" r A" e) p/ v% G
(1100-1500), English again had established itself as the major# r, r3 C( \# _5 G0 u
language in Britain.
8 e# n4 K: ^1 F. y During this period, English continued to borrow words
) r3 x( E8 s" n% k$ i. C' Tfrom French and from Latin. In the English we now speak,
3 u& l5 }4 F/ h/ Q, qmore than half of the words in common use come from
( w* S6 R2 i* B, O% i) X, E* q1 G7 Zthese two sources. Many words from Old English and Anglo-
% w5 i& P/ @8 F8 z" pFrench that are roughly synonymous exist side by side today.
( M8 ?4 h# @; k6 w1 V! g" M8 qFor example, dress and clothes, aid and help, royal
4 Y1 u2 R6 ^6 m) X4 K: q( Band kingly. In addition, trade between Britain and the Low M. }1 T# g% G, E
Countries, especially Holland, accounts for the inclusion of
# v) ?2 y. ~4 Lperhaps as many as 2,500 words of Dutch origin in the English
* L( W9 g* n0 J" j+ C( y2 a* y! u/ e, nlanguage. Some examples are: boom (at the bottom of a3 |* U& h6 ]6 y, P+ U
sail), deck, easel, etch, freight, furlough, and stoop (porch
/ Y9 W, [# A. F9 t( xor entrance).
( K( Y p2 E. r2 g" F Before the Norman invasion, a great change in English1 B- ?& C( N3 ~" y, o( _! ^
was beginning to shift grammatical and pronunciation patterns.9 e( W& t% y Y0 _' w
However, the coming of the Normans accelerated
L$ m S6 i# [; `5 Fthese changes. Everyday use, growth of dialects, and contact
, Z- n2 k6 e+ T/ W* ]with foreign languages caused inflections (word endings) to3 Y3 p; {' s1 u% m
lose their distinctive meanings and their usefulness. Instead: _) f6 }# y5 D n
of depending on word endings to give exact meaning to a8 E; a+ [9 @$ @
sentence, as had been the case in Old English, word order8 a! y$ R- ~( N' Q- y5 @9 T; K
became the important indicator.
! x& J- M* m$ G. A In Old English, for example, To his J>eowum se feeder cwaeoK5 a: J- Q9 U3 X4 @/ t. D
meaning "The father said to his servants" or "To his servants
) T. `. G. @0 n. | Ithe father said," would have the same meaning no matter
^9 m! t! i5 j+ y' Zhow the words were placed in the sentence. The -urn4 ]$ J- L, h# n& o
ending on beow(um) would always indicate who was being3 v8 i5 j0 ^* ~# q# ]
spoken to. In modern English, if we shift word order to
2 s4 R3 w3 t3 b$ I; Omake the sentence read " His servants said to the father,"
$ m( F$ Q+ r- cthe meaning would be quite different.
7 j9 ?7 g8 P2 y1 S English still retains some inflections, including plurals and2 a* a6 ^5 |! |9 e8 v7 k
the verb endings. But Middle English had far fewer inflections9 z! R8 o; A$ f: G" C. O, j+ V( w
than Old English.; C) U# a" P2 k' O1 t
8 ?) R" z9 f+ j5 Y
Modern English
3 @. F+ N; J$ j% |, _- B* j8 Z NThe Modern English period, starting about 1500, has been
& o, z' m1 \. uconcerned for the most part with regulating and standardizing
/ I& e% L2 A3 \0 {7 Zthe language. But attempts to fix English into a permanent! J4 ?: A# F# k" ^1 w
form failed. The way a language is used gives it life,
: u* W- e3 n& J# _and usage produces change.7 S7 A& z" h- I/ b% j0 |& [
However, fixing a language and freezing its usages into a0 |# m6 H& J2 ~
form that tolerates no change is different from trying to
8 d1 L i2 J" m' c' Zstandardize its spelling so that communication between inhabitants" \' t. d0 E- d0 i* h# N9 H- W
of various regions of the country is easy and effective.
" z. Q* L% d: c) b n$ L* R9 C Several factors contributed to establishing Standard English* Q+ w% G% E! e* z& i+ @/ o) d
spelling and some forms of usage and many of the traits that- Q* u& P! Q8 H: O, \+ j5 p
exist in modern English. These factors included the introduction
" M: E T; l4 w+ rof the printing press into England in 1477 by William& I' z% y0 N! Z+ O4 F. [2 c: W( t
Caxton, the revival of interest in literature, and the growth of* }8 l8 t5 c* H
popular education.
; k" e0 d+ u3 R, p9 Q) ] The need for standardization was recognized as early as
( V+ p, o# ^2 g4 @4 \/ T7 Jthe mid-1300's. From that time, the London dialect (East
7 p& P; [$ S0 K7 d" Q+ [& rMidland) was gradually adopted from the four main dialects
* H" G& w9 U' T' v' pin existence (Northern, East and West Midland, and Southern)$ C+ T" n6 q5 D5 f: q( x. I
as the basis for Standard English. The choice was made7 J) i/ g2 V1 A% A( f, e5 t
because the London dialect was the language of contracts
G+ ]0 {6 o" G1 Y" n/ uand commerce and the speech of the ruling court. All official
4 J3 @/ |8 L1 m! Y' Z$ xdocuments originating there were written in the London" V7 v! D2 _/ o+ x8 c
dialect. Furthermore, the translation of the Book of Common
, o, f! t. R$ I) hPrayer and the King James version of the Bible became tremendous8 |7 P' L$ j8 h' ]/ w0 A6 M
forces for elevated English.
% \9 ^3 `' K9 R$ O* C4 a1 q Before Caxton, literary works were written for the most5 _( _7 [# Q& C1 Y* Y
part in the dialect of the author. Spoken dialects continued
- s6 y x' X" V/ d# s, Dfor a long time and, indeed, still exist. But, by the end of the
5 V3 o( ^, E, r# u% l: w1400's, the London dialect was becoming accepted literary! D9 x- I% }! O& |! i7 D( s
usage.& d# ~5 h6 x) u% {
By the early part of the 1600's, more than 20,000 different8 c& F& o5 t, r5 A; m) [ L7 T
works were printed in England alone. Books were available! f$ i1 q3 J$ a- d; o
to all who could read and afford them. The printed
3 W' t2 e7 ^1 G# _' ?- {word helped to make spelling more uniform. Up until that
, @8 K" Z# w1 u8 Itime spelling usually varied from region to region.
6 T9 v2 K. m( }* j& b, F From the 1500's through the 1700's, many writers experimented& i7 ?1 t8 ~; D6 { Z
with words. Over 10,000 new words entered the
: }. e4 E0 G3 d/ W1 }) D% kEnglish language. Many of these were taken from Latin and
2 X9 h5 l& O- iGreek by scholars who wanted to replace the forms earlier3 w) `1 g( Y# e* y' a
adopted from French. Translators and writers believed the
- D: O @) ]4 i' P" n7 i; d/ x" ulanguage was rough, unpolished, and incapable of doing
- b6 i# N1 G! w, Z, Kwhat Latin and Greek had done, and what Italian could do.2 W. m% |/ q3 [/ d+ A" z7 S
They set about enlarging the vocabulary, chiefly by translating
7 j8 U7 ~% {5 n& D3 kwords from Greek and Latin. More than twenty-five per
0 ]0 T5 z+ {3 B2 [1 l# Z! T) Acent of modern English words come almost directly from
# ~. v9 ?- _ G* A0 B# M1 pclassical languages. Very often we have two words that go% o1 w- i/ A G1 U2 l3 p9 W
back to the same Latin original—one brought in by the Normans,
/ s' x1 ~% C- i. }* }' u: l n* Sand one taken in directly. For example, words such as: B9 X x, P3 v) o! O4 |
paint and picture, certainty and certitude. The adoption of
9 l) Q! t9 J0 L% }8 m- B9 mGreek and Latin forms became so abundant and so outrageous, N' J5 ~2 c: M! a, j% F8 n- w5 m
that many of these borrowings were dubbed "inkhorn. Q& l6 e3 ?8 F- ^2 e! p/ H
terms" because of their bookishness. However, some of2 H, }" T5 w9 u9 Y
these terms were useful and necessary and they have survived
& X& M# J1 b; K" i& Ito this day. Among them are conduct, dexterity, extinguish,% H/ d/ p+ Y7 L2 l& R5 y
scientific, and spurious.
: P4 J: ^& _2 l; |$ Z" M
0 T/ P: E4 h" G9 H+ H- S1 D, ]American and British English
& \4 a" b4 l! G3 oAfter the British colonized America, the English language5 P0 F R7 }# N; E& t
used by Americans began to change from that in the old7 f- G8 y) r+ ?
country. The biggest factor in this change involved the need% z' L$ M) d& V* M
to create or adopt words to identify unfamiliar objects. Animals,# V+ r: _& u" t
trees, food, and the physical features of the land were
: g- r" V0 N+ v) ?% xdifferent. The Americans took words from the Indians to
. ` M1 c0 d5 g; aidentify a raccoon, a tomahawk, a papoose, and a wigwam.( Q& B. ~2 Q, J+ B
When there were no appropriate words, they did what their+ ]% v' P3 y Q" E$ K0 ?
ancestors had done. They combined words and gave them, m3 D6 Q9 ~+ ]
new meanings. The combination of garter and snake produced
. w1 c# l6 ?, z4 V7 Fa word to describe a crawling creature they had2 P( d; f, I2 M0 ?( W+ [$ y3 u+ V
never seen before. They named the sweet, edible root of a
8 y3 v3 j/ V( P5 \( Tvine belonging to the morning-glory family, sweet potato.
3 v+ [; x) r+ l4 eThey adapted from the Narraganset Indians the name for the% V2 `3 j- `' i- H- j1 h. n' M9 U
fruit of a plant of the gourd family, the squash.1 c+ _# I7 u( G) [
The growth of American nationalism led to a desire for# @6 r4 s7 L2 V! Q# l
cultural as well as political independence from the mother
% G7 W! w$ O3 X2 icountry. This, too, influenced American English, as in conscious
/ Y1 f5 P( K8 l) R/ |# H& y( sattempts to reform spelling so that in time, musick$ I1 @& n9 {( r; z
became music, and labour became labor. New ideas in the! v) f% W6 A6 W$ d- F1 P
arts and sciences and the coming to America of people from
m; u; L" y( H+ f& [many different countries had a powerful effect on American4 f3 O" X9 R$ _2 o% c0 L; C
English.2 J+ ?* v1 s- \$ S+ X8 m6 o
Changes have not been so extensive that we speak a new
z3 m6 C9 w& qlanguage. Many Americans may not know that when an6 N& V8 n; ?6 `* C; V
Englishman says fitment he means an alteration, and that
: I; {3 q/ {! F4 uthe British goods wagon is the American freight car. But, for* d6 w* j, v% H" T% }4 r
the most part, Americans and Britons communicate easily! f/ f/ S2 ^3 M1 C" ?& v; [* l0 f
because grammatical and phonetic patterns have not
& }! U# ]/ c+ I Mchanged, though many words or lexical content are different.
& J9 Z1 @: r/ q R6 u/ R7 u; m( Z The gap between American and British English has
9 t* b* A7 h3 O( b1 n6 Kbecome smaller in recent times, especially with the great increases
/ i% ?: E- P& A6 v+ z4 s, j5 vin the ease of transportation and communication.
6 h5 R5 H4 {1 y/ Q; xNeither the Americans nor the British have any qualms
9 g% }* j" O2 U+ n6 ^about appropriating words from other languages when they
- `$ K2 Q" O% b$ ?+ l- o" R! N8 hexpress concepts better than native words can. The British8 s( y! o4 _, k$ K! t0 }: G
have taken American words such as telephone, jazz, and+ J6 E6 a& e" {2 n# G3 x3 `
typewriter. Americans take words from many languages.7 ]5 p! N$ U! [5 Q9 v- g$ Z
English has also changed in other countries where it is
5 {7 p% Q, U' @2 U5 M$ j- tused. Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and others- A1 a6 d! M- ~; o/ Y c7 ?! w2 {/ @
have adapted English to fit their own needs. Although all
' r6 g( X% Q! p) _English-speaking people can generally understand each
: L( J" S& F, z5 D. ?) ~other, each English-speaking country has developed distinctive
4 P: S" f& B1 z! s" b5 J ^ways of using the language. For example, New Zealanders
. H& a! g/ d, r$ crefer to a section (a building lot in a city), Australians to! A$ @6 Y* X3 {* e/ E) c
a mob (a group of animals), and Canadians to a chesterfield
T, }2 z' p. Q3 G- \0 Z% z(an overstuffed sofa).* E& k2 f. e4 Q. c8 V! ~
As long as travel and trade exist between nations, as long3 B- \7 h5 H* Z+ T* P' k6 f) T
as large groups of people continue to settle in countries
- J; ]! R1 o1 A" o" Jother than their native lands, and as long as the sciences" U- O% d& y* R% p
and the arts progress, new ideas, new words, and new usages
* i3 V' ~5 B; G2 N5 e" y, M8 H, E4 tof words will continue to keep language changing and$ I( m5 @7 _: v H
growing. |
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