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私以为可以将pdf正文前的多篇文章也加入词条,以完善词典的内容,并更好的使用词典。
- S+ u. t; t2 D4 u* ^. C1、Where English comes from
?! f! V f) a3 ~2 K! _The English language has existed for hundreds of years./ f- y# M- K0 D' y
Many words came into English from various European languages.
& a B+ B1 r9 Z5 I z% \1 NFor example, St. Augustine and other Latin-speaking
: z. Y! {: j6 Q: ?$ f: Rmissionaries to England used such words as bishop and
' N) z. b0 k- w0 o7 K. L Mpriest. Latin was the language of scholarship and religion.3 X9 g4 [8 P9 P9 }3 A b
Wherever Latin scholars, missionaries, and government officials" }; A& o3 _4 O/ _: e
exerted important influence, Latin words became
( o3 Y3 D% @# @) Q! Nknown. When the Scandinavians invaded and settled in Britain,
$ \: `& p/ F; c6 esome words beginning with sk- were adopted into English.% G/ T* S* t( d5 ?
For example, skill, skirt, and sky. The Scandinavians P) y0 Q7 {# l/ b, c
also contributed important pronouns such as their, them," H8 r% Y% W! K K6 P
and they. Words of French origin include army, blue, chair,
! J4 ~3 @4 [& M y5 K8 u4 Gdinner, government, jolly, mayor, paper, and towel. Balcony,
F% V7 n" N. Vpiano, and pizza come from Italy; fiesta and siesta,8 k b4 J3 R/ f* d0 h6 B
from Spain; orchestra, from Greece; boomerang, from Australia;. e9 |, A; f& R+ X% K" q
vodka, from Russia; and igloo, from the Eskimos.8 P5 ^- e: }) _: j6 R" w3 t* a
English is always growing and changing. Words constantly' g) b9 J6 C* a' U4 v3 F) j) S: C
are being added and falling into disuse. Many words that
0 Z; @" p2 c% z X Qyou hear, speak, and read today were not part of the language9 b9 Y; S5 B1 d0 |
your grandparents used. Look in a dictionary published& j) I7 T9 I0 z4 ]
at that time and you will not find such words as astronaut,
- v- _/ U. C# M& h- ^: _7 dculture shock, miniskirt, rolamite, and microfiche. C# {2 h* Y; g4 g+ ~: T
Every time new inventions, scientific discoveries, art forms,+ z9 ?2 U. Z8 ]" V7 D4 L
or fashions appear that do not have names to identify them,4 J/ a' n2 q4 ?* T1 W
new words must be invented or old words given new applications,, ]4 Z O4 _ G! _$ H
or taken from other languages.
& M* i7 ~& J& _& g% E$ H When words are not used, they become obsolete. Obsolete3 ~* Q3 P8 e3 ]% j+ C
words are included in the dictionary because they are5 m0 u+ o9 e# }- M
part of our history and our culture. You will want to know7 t8 {. c5 ]% I1 i! C6 y1 @
what they mean when you read them in old books or hear! [1 _0 h2 @; B+ [# L9 {* J# B
them used in plays written a long time ago. Before the automobile( x0 _4 I* ^* I" n. [3 g' T- h" \
was a common form of transportation, people traveled( l! q0 I) V; B& q/ `
in buggies drawn by horses. Now when you hear or( |; ~. C: c; n
see the word buggy you are inclined to think of something
' _7 _4 \. k5 M9 z& K- X) n2 gold-fashioned or insect-ridden.4 _# p! v$ \% e4 A
Many words have changed their meanings. For example,4 G2 r! [5 g# O& i
sly and crafty people were once described as "pretty." At
6 T0 V4 ?1 b; z% { Fone time, when people wanted to picture someone as stupid
' D% O) D4 C4 Q0 _( Sand ignorant they referred to that person as "nice." Today,
& K) ?4 w% i+ i( Mif someone tells us we are "nice" and "pretty," we feel flattered,
' {3 w: r, e( Ynot insulted.
: t: x% Q2 p. R/ e1 l" M These are only a few of the ways in which language& ]& Q$ p% ]2 d# k
changes and grows. By knowing how words become part of6 w$ _( _+ Q( E, q0 x' v+ C
a language, you discover important clues to social, political,
" x( N& `0 i8 g. B: [and cultural changes that take place in the history of a
% a8 y9 z8 g3 x$ z* F+ |4 icountry using that language.3 _, d* v" b3 e; V, {
The story of how English originated is a fascinating one.6 _- P# s, a9 D9 s
4 Q/ w! L& p* T# K7 c+ `How English began# F8 y/ e$ V8 v8 Y
English comes from a common ancestral language believed8 _& D I9 X9 O# [
to have existed a very long time ago. It has been called
: q) T- O* \5 d- _Indo-European. About 4,500 years ago, the people who6 f$ |1 N/ I' g5 P# ?
spoke varying forms of this language split into groups that' I; x( l0 E! G. V. l
drifted into Europe and parts of Asia. Different speech communities
% _ S, K {$ M% P1 a& n; edeveloped within these widespread groups eventually
" p- Z- ^8 B2 ^5 Ngiving rise to several languages including Latin, from
3 v" X% u6 M, @! w5 K f# }which many of the languages spoken in Europe today developed.' U9 J3 B$ J/ Y9 c8 V
One group of Indo-European languages is known as
. W! E- y: X$ ]* T! ~Germanic, and this is the primary parent language of English+ A5 z: c# q# f! K& O8 G. N6 Q
and German./ ~8 O" H& N, T- M5 S
Warrior-adventurers, who spoke Germanic, invaded what: J5 k! e1 K& \; f
is now Great Britain about A.D. 450. The invaders—called
/ x# o4 Z( L0 ^ B+ c7 {7 OAngles, Saxons, and Jutes—all spoke similar dialects. The) o1 Q9 K; E0 q9 B; y+ Y0 f# s1 @8 V
people they conquered, known as Britons, spoke Celtic. The8 F; N% U, i) T* o6 o4 P
Celtic language included Latin words because conquering
$ t. c, o+ P0 i" N$ W, p1 ~# E, FRoman troops occupied Britain from A.D. 43 until the 400's.6 _! F2 ~5 s( K4 h; m5 t3 h
The troops had to return home to defend Rome against invading
- l- t4 E- Z6 G* X7 zarmies. The Germanic tribes conquered Britain after% a) u( y3 O$ g! I+ q$ {
the Romans left., x& X& |# M8 S
As the invading tribes took over and settled in Britain, the
5 Z' S1 V9 E/ m1 b& K. L$ ?Celtic languages gradually retreated. Since the Celtic people- U3 s' g. m2 Z& }7 X' t
were forced to communicate with their rulers, the history of% j$ k3 ^& i, [1 \0 B
the English language begins with the take-over of Britain by3 F" @; J( C$ [3 N* g3 t
the Germanic tribes. As a result, Celtic made only a small
% p* y2 O7 \! s& t% Kcontribution to the English vocabulary with words such as
# f( s+ |9 S: m$ X/ Q4 V, `crag and bin. However, many place names were adopted/ c- _& w% R, w+ Z+ Z$ N0 Y
from the Celtic. Among them are Avon, Kent, London,' H3 i( o; S! D: S0 o; m
Ouse, and Thames. Small groups of people living in Ireland,
! i" f1 m( a/ r$ z/ H3 Y2 h# U6 cWales, and the Scottish Highlands still speak varieties of Celtic5 Q& K: C8 T$ X: m6 J9 g) v0 k
such as Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, and recently
6 v7 @; @4 `. v& W- [7 V- S7 o4 irevived Irish.
# S. O; i+ n& L7 K5 v# J$ F
$ r0 ]0 ~! c' oOld English3 Y+ w; G) k7 O* d3 l2 V
The Angles and Saxons occupied a large part of Britain. The8 }4 `9 v0 j& h% |7 E
name of one of the former tribes eventually became the' z* g% _ g# i; ]7 c N! Q
name of the land they occupied, England. The Anglo-Saxon% k. A$ V$ B3 g7 R" O2 s1 i
language, now usually called Old English, became firmly established
. t5 k _: D; D+ nin Britain in the period from the A.D. 500's to 1066.3 U( Y, Y6 N5 e; z
Even as this happened, changes were taking place. Latinspeaking
5 P3 Y p; P) T& {Roman and Celtic missionaries under St. Augustine,, F) G+ L& |2 ~$ h B6 ~& ~
began spreading Christianity in Britain. The introduction of
/ q" O3 E, d" }2 \; G2 u" g0 t0 mChristianity exerted a great impact on the English language.- h5 D W6 x. h* ]& g- W: P* E
Religion brought with it many new ideas and customs. And# O- y2 d' }! Y
Christianity used Latin. In their attempt to identify and deal. d! A( d8 R- S3 U* s) d
with all these new ideas and customs, the Anglo-Saxons did1 A+ k* N" k! L3 M
not hesitate to borrow from Latin the special vocabulary
; |8 R1 { e1 ^needed for the new religious life. Among the words taken
6 i/ K/ ~# @ m# s/ [from Church Latin which still survive are:/ r* ?1 ~' a. J$ |# Z
' [/ |8 ~( t* b# d5 F3 x/ y
Latin Old English Modern English" g& H7 ]* L5 G" g! U7 k% D
abbatis abbod abbot* t, @' @* d! D; F" a- [
candela candel candle6 G+ w, m9 Y1 |1 F& h
altare altar altar# ~9 @# K9 b% U, B
amen amen amen
6 `- o* ~8 C! G# m6 D; E! Tapostolus apostol apostle
0 W% b; t7 p7 q; _. E% |% t }( P7 J) B) L+ b: C% Z
However, users of Old English did not borrow as heavily; r- t$ ]9 P. n
from Latin and other languages in this period as they did
# ?( ~+ C3 W; ~+ o# M* h- Ylater when there was greater communication with the Continent.+ U+ l. N/ W" j# F5 z- N ~
Sometimes they changed the meanings of native0 m' w9 T( x% \
words. The word for Easter (eastron) originally was the
) [$ x% N) ~- @; N- m6 }' Wname for the spring festival honoring the goddess of dawn.
% [9 T0 j+ `0 U' C3 Z. a! I& k% fCeol (Yule), the name of the festival held to celebrate the
: W8 k% [9 I% ipassing of the shortest day of the year, came to denote0 M; O8 I0 I. @5 X2 Z, u: Q
Christmas.
7 l6 ~' ?4 ^; K; ^' w$ R Native ingenuity was shown in creating new words by; ?* z+ \3 W! j) T& ]" y2 Q( P! U
combining two native words in much the same way as we/ V' ]+ h. ^3 @
now combine words such as space and worthy to form
; e- [3 G2 j, [' A3 h. h2 {/ B# Yspaceworthy. Old English words such as Icececraft (leechcraft),
- D! U1 _( V3 e* E. pmeaning medicine, and handboc (handbook), meaning9 F; n. v. R- ]
manual, illustrate this practice." c) m0 C& K, I7 V5 f$ i' r
The growth of the Old English vocabulary during this
) t h( A9 |/ G* [! operiod of language history reflects the growth of English culture.
) t; Z0 z. T+ RBecause of the Church's influence, scholarship was encouraged
% ]1 c% P2 P& Y8 d. D$ Sand Britain began its rise as one of the intellectual
. o, G' X; L8 s1 D% D+ G$ }! uleaders of Europe.
- _5 h; j8 o5 Q1 N Toward the end of the 700's, hardy Vikings from Denmark,
! E7 I$ ^: ?9 VNorway, and Sweden began invading and settling in
% Z7 L& R, ^/ d2 x0 o: ?many parts of Britain. By the 1000's, a Danish king ruled
: k$ Q9 U& s2 XBritain. As a result of the invasions from the Danish peninsula,4 L! c% v! n4 [9 V- X
many Scandinavian words became part of English.
: ^; ~, ~4 t( s0 h" E6 Y, L W6 UThese did not identify new ideas and objects. They were everyday
2 I7 i# z% J c M1 @9 u/ twords for which the English already had terms and expressions.
# ?, a, r2 y4 [' |+ C Why did the Scandinavian words exist side by side with
. e6 `" g [% i: m7 D' b6 U& XEnglish words instead of replacing them? The Scandinavian- R Y0 v5 V! D" H
invaders were Germanic people like the Anglo-Saxons. Their
: o4 h( K m5 d+ Dcultures were similar and their languages enough alike so+ g( y7 q4 h- X) D {% ?1 M. W
that they understood one another. Many words were exactly) O0 N1 W% \; M4 r# _
alike, such as father, husband, house, life, man, mother,
7 u9 P6 R3 H7 M0 Psummer, wife, and winter. Other words were so much alike
, `9 O( o# Y1 l+ Z3 M9 Q8 i3 wthey were used interchangeably.
. X p. A4 f8 x: D- c2 y Although the Scandinavians and the English fought each5 }, H! j/ p3 F9 m, M1 E
other, many Scandinavians settled peacefully in Britain, married' r% x2 o+ N; a5 s9 b
English women, and raised families. Often both languages
9 J4 s# ~+ E# M7 K0 H8 \: fwere spoken in the same household. Where different
. _! _' T% ~0 m' w8 v' Gwords existed for the same thing, the Old English word usually
, X$ ~0 a- S0 k- qwon out, but there were some exceptions. The results of
% i* {: Q" ?1 n, z4 `# cthis absorption of language through close contact is seen in
* I! n& N1 e# U4 ?the histories of such words from Scandinavia as skirt, skill,
. N [" E2 G2 ?window, leg, gasp, birth, glitter, they, their, them, egg.
) V9 f, t5 c1 b0 \9 e Scholars believe that at least 900 words of Scandinavian
8 n9 y" F: s( t8 korigin have survived in modern Standard English. Many" F: u7 h' e, k d# F) ?& }8 o# I
more are still in use in Great Britain. They are found in dialects
! s5 G% Q7 m( D4 x) M/ V' O# mspoken in regions heavily settled by the Swedes,/ t* d( J) |! Q; }0 v* d
Danes, and Norse in those early days.
( F2 {' X; Y" i6 O/ \' N' ` C1 ~& m3 Q
Middle English0 ^8 B: u, l6 p, p8 ]# { p3 }
Old English began to undergo a great change when the Normans
9 J" S4 K/ ^8 f7 S0 w9 \ S0 Z( jinvaded England from France in 1066. Until then, in
# r9 J' p7 @! Yspite of the Latin brought in by the introduction of Christianity,
3 U. ?$ w p& n M5 U1 w( Xthe influence on English was overwhelmingly Germanic.
" _/ W$ n" v2 WThe Normans began a process that brought many
6 y& N2 L7 f. JFrench words into the English language. They replaced the
; Z, u) F; p3 jEnglish as rulers, chief landholders, and church officials and; o7 J, l J/ G2 Y
Norman-French became the language of the ruling class. ~4 i; n) I$ p- T2 A/ l- |
However, the common people continued to speak English./ i. R c. {' c* \$ w9 t+ ~# h
Norman-French and Old,English existed side by side until* V, d1 s$ g- x8 d( Q/ }! a
political and social changes began to favor the use of English8 K( [, l/ [: E3 K; v5 a9 l
by all classes. The Normans lost control of their territory in
% ~ T* `, z9 q( z S# S% kFrance in the early 1200's. Confined to Britain, the Normans
% q7 |2 D( e6 H I# jbegan to learn English. Eventually, it replaced French as the% Z' C- v6 z e" ^$ G
language of the ruling class, the schools, and the courts. By
( V4 @- u2 w0 `# r) b9 Uthe end of what is known as the Middle English period
7 s* M6 w% C% v/ F U: N& y: o0 l6 w(1100-1500), English again had established itself as the major
& `9 s6 m! A* p6 a) g0 Z* N3 qlanguage in Britain.
) b; Y- B1 t1 F; h0 r5 l# Z' T During this period, English continued to borrow words
( f y8 {8 E' M- Efrom French and from Latin. In the English we now speak,
2 C; i4 k* X* f4 mmore than half of the words in common use come from) _& |. }# s4 K& o$ b
these two sources. Many words from Old English and Anglo-0 ]9 n! `8 h" _3 ~; c) b
French that are roughly synonymous exist side by side today.2 \# O5 C) F; o* k6 y2 J9 {: F$ b
For example, dress and clothes, aid and help, royal
7 _, U% b. r/ z% T" ]/ k7 F4 Land kingly. In addition, trade between Britain and the Low
, Q6 P" K2 n N& H9 X8 f$ A7 V2 vCountries, especially Holland, accounts for the inclusion of" z# K4 {7 c/ V, i
perhaps as many as 2,500 words of Dutch origin in the English" u C0 I& u2 G
language. Some examples are: boom (at the bottom of a
/ D/ Y! a' \. g9 E7 ?sail), deck, easel, etch, freight, furlough, and stoop (porch5 }- |# Z/ Z1 N
or entrance).
0 a0 _ B" T0 v5 V Before the Norman invasion, a great change in English. ]3 W* g/ \( e/ o3 X1 Z
was beginning to shift grammatical and pronunciation patterns.
; M- F7 L2 }! F/ @; eHowever, the coming of the Normans accelerated
% _# h& A$ }- E/ X/ z& b) C, k0 `these changes. Everyday use, growth of dialects, and contact
5 p" }- q. d: l/ E8 W% b4 N d9 hwith foreign languages caused inflections (word endings) to' E& j4 w7 S, E
lose their distinctive meanings and their usefulness. Instead3 `3 c" w# O* r7 W9 y% {
of depending on word endings to give exact meaning to a5 |. T, D; G0 l2 U( M/ E
sentence, as had been the case in Old English, word order3 P6 q# \$ i6 ]. k% |+ I N
became the important indicator.
: `5 d6 g" ?2 S In Old English, for example, To his J>eowum se feeder cwaeoK
0 d2 o0 d4 q8 C4 {* h8 {& gmeaning "The father said to his servants" or "To his servants
- E: s# C: e7 J, D. D9 Pthe father said," would have the same meaning no matter$ I1 M2 E4 ~: m
how the words were placed in the sentence. The -urn
6 L$ V$ M3 L9 A4 `& Uending on beow(um) would always indicate who was being
# r- P, X- C7 g9 vspoken to. In modern English, if we shift word order to( w# ~! l, ]7 j
make the sentence read " His servants said to the father,"# ]8 k! A0 i2 }# s, [: X
the meaning would be quite different.
- r: }' | y/ U. M) @, ], s& o+ N5 M English still retains some inflections, including plurals and
& b" `8 Y3 Y W; ?: D0 F9 e# ` bthe verb endings. But Middle English had far fewer inflections
/ _, o/ Y' B+ Ethan Old English.( V; ?1 F, q7 H8 J( D% ^
/ Q1 I* z5 K$ z( x, B. D _Modern English
1 _! z) F, x- I6 c: w$ q# {The Modern English period, starting about 1500, has been
# w" Z+ b F, h4 c" kconcerned for the most part with regulating and standardizing! U+ C3 N7 f; `6 h
the language. But attempts to fix English into a permanent
, c1 I4 i8 {0 E& p3 M* } hform failed. The way a language is used gives it life,
* p; O% L1 c7 X# w# mand usage produces change.( W8 H2 y6 `$ O, \) K# K4 ]
However, fixing a language and freezing its usages into a% c0 e! d+ }. `1 u. o3 F7 z
form that tolerates no change is different from trying to: v. J0 ]; h) n) J M" E$ w
standardize its spelling so that communication between inhabitants
4 Q% v5 O1 b( Q- Qof various regions of the country is easy and effective.
9 d+ m. C$ S B Several factors contributed to establishing Standard English
' h" n$ S7 R' @spelling and some forms of usage and many of the traits that7 W# O! N6 Z- B8 n( X- ^% E
exist in modern English. These factors included the introduction
" h4 d2 e2 l$ c$ k$ ^# [, iof the printing press into England in 1477 by William' a1 u( }" `4 i) K
Caxton, the revival of interest in literature, and the growth of: E P s- g/ }4 [6 d
popular education.
! Y0 c" l; Q, f9 W: y* _0 {/ I+ p The need for standardization was recognized as early as
2 [) q9 w. i4 E: K% f$ ^: }the mid-1300's. From that time, the London dialect (East0 K/ ^$ y" v5 R6 H, v
Midland) was gradually adopted from the four main dialects
6 w p, F5 w) r9 Y: Q2 F& i- |in existence (Northern, East and West Midland, and Southern)- I3 v5 o1 G: O3 K& f" n
as the basis for Standard English. The choice was made
. M& i+ V1 w9 g& D. r) c* y0 abecause the London dialect was the language of contracts. J0 u3 d2 d+ N' a% R% p; _" u
and commerce and the speech of the ruling court. All official
- l$ P; d/ F( s% t- g' |! A1 d5 gdocuments originating there were written in the London: P* G$ x6 v' Y6 [
dialect. Furthermore, the translation of the Book of Common8 R6 O0 Q8 |* p5 ^
Prayer and the King James version of the Bible became tremendous
# |8 K6 ~$ K3 e8 ~. f, x" R+ Vforces for elevated English.2 h' P. @ K5 S$ T# w: v) I
Before Caxton, literary works were written for the most) r( j: [$ X O! I: @2 J% t* o4 y
part in the dialect of the author. Spoken dialects continued+ h1 l8 Z6 ?& H
for a long time and, indeed, still exist. But, by the end of the
! e/ I2 f, @! C7 E1 u* t1400's, the London dialect was becoming accepted literary
' |5 \' D) w! H$ V E9 [5 Xusage.# b/ G: i; h* p3 g$ }- t P7 C
By the early part of the 1600's, more than 20,000 different
9 \3 }" Q4 U U% L: Qworks were printed in England alone. Books were available* `1 I' T$ D( e( r/ I( ~+ y/ f
to all who could read and afford them. The printed$ A5 N4 j9 R4 l5 b- O* p
word helped to make spelling more uniform. Up until that& x4 }$ U/ {& l; W
time spelling usually varied from region to region.
6 o' H; t7 }3 L From the 1500's through the 1700's, many writers experimented
4 n3 }" F8 f+ F) uwith words. Over 10,000 new words entered the: I) l# u9 L1 \8 W) B9 L2 p( F
English language. Many of these were taken from Latin and
: F9 I4 f5 u5 F' tGreek by scholars who wanted to replace the forms earlier
! p. E/ L4 N0 x+ M5 a6 B4 Uadopted from French. Translators and writers believed the0 {" H0 e5 o0 o- j& i' J o8 U
language was rough, unpolished, and incapable of doing
7 I* _- n. Y( K& A) H3 Ywhat Latin and Greek had done, and what Italian could do.
; h( f# ^, l! F- r$ jThey set about enlarging the vocabulary, chiefly by translating
: _0 Z- ]6 I: } [words from Greek and Latin. More than twenty-five per2 ?# G/ p, g7 G4 }7 D$ ~
cent of modern English words come almost directly from; U5 e. |& i7 J7 @1 R: ?* r
classical languages. Very often we have two words that go
" O5 s4 I$ F8 Z1 y# B, h3 \back to the same Latin original—one brought in by the Normans, {8 o5 x$ j5 W3 |1 T6 T9 W5 l
and one taken in directly. For example, words such as
; r2 _$ d. v1 L" ^! Gpaint and picture, certainty and certitude. The adoption of
- o" t; \( t" ]# q tGreek and Latin forms became so abundant and so outrageous5 \7 ?+ R% r' G7 x" |; p' C
that many of these borrowings were dubbed "inkhorn5 M3 E/ h, g3 w
terms" because of their bookishness. However, some of
8 T, j' H7 @* L9 l. v. Kthese terms were useful and necessary and they have survived5 f. y' D" w1 ?% _1 y7 K* p! S! P
to this day. Among them are conduct, dexterity, extinguish,0 |7 ]2 l- f0 d7 Z/ ]" X. p# O
scientific, and spurious.
+ {& [9 @! K/ ?4 I
0 R8 D& B+ ]$ C) o) fAmerican and British English3 B1 S: B6 N$ ?. a$ G% E1 w( E; ?
After the British colonized America, the English language7 q3 o, n9 |$ e+ J& J a" }9 I0 ~
used by Americans began to change from that in the old) C* U, e& J. B3 B$ O" y* R
country. The biggest factor in this change involved the need
/ @ H. U6 u: E- t @to create or adopt words to identify unfamiliar objects. Animals," X6 ~4 n$ n5 r7 R( l
trees, food, and the physical features of the land were
4 `! Q, E0 X; } _( T* O) H; j3 z6 }3 Tdifferent. The Americans took words from the Indians to
: ?' R/ z. V* O# P* ^0 E3 [: r/ fidentify a raccoon, a tomahawk, a papoose, and a wigwam.
5 K% ?+ |3 n; C5 S8 M q! _9 GWhen there were no appropriate words, they did what their' Z2 N& K) q' H$ g" W/ X* n. Z
ancestors had done. They combined words and gave them- [% n4 ?" w( [! M/ G; ^
new meanings. The combination of garter and snake produced
) {+ A) e9 ?9 Y" s" d; ha word to describe a crawling creature they had; b2 l4 ~7 o$ C+ z2 a$ @5 u' R
never seen before. They named the sweet, edible root of a& N8 M0 s% |# d/ H
vine belonging to the morning-glory family, sweet potato.( ~- H$ a, U: ~9 z
They adapted from the Narraganset Indians the name for the
& c4 u3 y& v3 u! \+ _& s% f* {: i8 tfruit of a plant of the gourd family, the squash.
8 _) {. ~# p$ W) c5 n9 L; _/ C The growth of American nationalism led to a desire for0 h6 d0 k1 Q. X* t. H2 l
cultural as well as political independence from the mother
9 m- b3 w3 N6 ]. X5 i+ Rcountry. This, too, influenced American English, as in conscious% g1 C* t( K- D
attempts to reform spelling so that in time, musick8 i) A7 ^3 e# p: {
became music, and labour became labor. New ideas in the
+ U9 P" F7 D! varts and sciences and the coming to America of people from" a9 F, `& G. h0 K5 z, }
many different countries had a powerful effect on American9 C0 g0 \* Y7 h+ t" i" L
English.
- P* N% }: ?% G, V) c Changes have not been so extensive that we speak a new1 W) U1 H) ~% |/ f. c) V$ [
language. Many Americans may not know that when an7 B, [' _& H5 b. E
Englishman says fitment he means an alteration, and that8 w6 q/ s8 o" i1 _9 ~
the British goods wagon is the American freight car. But, for2 `* i& {* f8 R( i5 R2 }. j0 P( B
the most part, Americans and Britons communicate easily
, n+ h% U9 N5 B1 S0 U8 w1 nbecause grammatical and phonetic patterns have not
; p9 A: O' r- k5 d. V6 P" }changed, though many words or lexical content are different.7 c3 j$ X8 ~5 Z9 x9 `& {- R
The gap between American and British English has! g: L, ]# I% @5 p' w
become smaller in recent times, especially with the great increases
, D$ y9 v5 z0 s( u4 Xin the ease of transportation and communication.1 @1 s- V( X ]5 n& x: S" f
Neither the Americans nor the British have any qualms
- R3 f6 x4 N; ~$ g, N/ Oabout appropriating words from other languages when they
2 U$ q, f, E7 R" ~$ Texpress concepts better than native words can. The British
0 G" U. W8 A& {4 J* Lhave taken American words such as telephone, jazz, and
( t2 a5 w, Z8 i" o' V' k M8 ftypewriter. Americans take words from many languages.
7 n7 @. M; j! K1 }: t, ] English has also changed in other countries where it is `9 g, n+ h5 p" k( X) K
used. Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and others
+ \, e$ z2 z( P$ K, }" Thave adapted English to fit their own needs. Although all
; x0 q0 W2 z) J3 o1 mEnglish-speaking people can generally understand each, p) N3 s% O9 N8 p6 l
other, each English-speaking country has developed distinctive
I9 X& J3 Q& v% U6 pways of using the language. For example, New Zealanders
& j5 c3 c- n# M/ Trefer to a section (a building lot in a city), Australians to
% L$ q& `# x: V7 c- u' N/ X, za mob (a group of animals), and Canadians to a chesterfield
) o- j! k3 b5 F9 z z+ j2 p) k2 p(an overstuffed sofa).* w4 s1 ?1 N+ D' T5 O9 i2 J8 l* B
As long as travel and trade exist between nations, as long
8 F% u& u: @' H( s! Vas large groups of people continue to settle in countries+ D1 w- |, t c5 x7 q
other than their native lands, and as long as the sciences( [9 s% c j9 Y$ @8 x9 g G
and the arts progress, new ideas, new words, and new usages! u7 o/ ^- y1 T7 R$ d
of words will continue to keep language changing and# w2 L& k1 G8 ?
growing. |
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