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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。/ F# a# a7 ]# }% B' d, s
1、Where English comes from, ?' W# j& o6 {$ f) L5 {1 e1 C
The English language has existed for hundreds of years.
1 K+ \9 y" P/ |" k& YMany words came into English from various European languages.
- D3 a, U& z$ ~3 Q2 |For example, St. Augustine and other Latin-speaking
5 t$ J& M* r/ S# s. L7 mmissionaries to England used such words as bishop and
) c; {/ l6 {6 m5 j* D( `/ hpriest. Latin was the language of scholarship and religion.
/ l: ^; C: h/ ?' ~3 EWherever Latin scholars, missionaries, and government officials
3 ?, l# R. y$ O; V" @' Texerted important influence, Latin words became/ Q& d0 e3 J' L$ Y% N
known. When the Scandinavians invaded and settled in Britain,
$ `+ d' H' W( ssome words beginning with sk- were adopted into English.0 |: C& Q" Z9 B% P8 ]0 w$ k0 n
For example, skill, skirt, and sky. The Scandinavians5 o l% k5 ^# H z; M9 @* j& e4 u
also contributed important pronouns such as their, them,
; w& n- e4 ^6 Dand they. Words of French origin include army, blue, chair,) H+ U; _! g) D2 m; h' P. d$ e
dinner, government, jolly, mayor, paper, and towel. Balcony,$ ? \, |9 C/ }; `" v
piano, and pizza come from Italy; fiesta and siesta,1 N5 C" A& s/ s& u7 G+ W" B: ^
from Spain; orchestra, from Greece; boomerang, from Australia;5 w0 N# ]" i; x" {. O% I
vodka, from Russia; and igloo, from the Eskimos.
: i, C1 J, F7 h. }% b English is always growing and changing. Words constantly
4 W) U: \# }/ C3 \9 O2 v Iare being added and falling into disuse. Many words that
V+ {7 @ N6 j6 Gyou hear, speak, and read today were not part of the language9 T( F: I7 {6 k7 A) l: E
your grandparents used. Look in a dictionary published
6 _; E0 k9 `9 X n4 l+ @at that time and you will not find such words as astronaut,% B2 f, ]- `* @: J
culture shock, miniskirt, rolamite, and microfiche.7 c( ?. O: Z# K9 u, h
Every time new inventions, scientific discoveries, art forms,
! e7 j7 T8 a n n ^/ ~- Zor fashions appear that do not have names to identify them,8 K0 \0 i/ y* U1 G
new words must be invented or old words given new applications,
) l6 u, V( f. Y2 dor taken from other languages.7 K5 }0 `* Q# @- r- `
When words are not used, they become obsolete. Obsolete7 V* A. b0 D# M' P" [- @. ?/ A
words are included in the dictionary because they are9 ~6 l0 r# i: k* F0 G% f+ D8 u$ ]- y* o. T
part of our history and our culture. You will want to know: Y/ o4 ?% k# C0 \
what they mean when you read them in old books or hear
' U% t' D# W9 l! y+ i+ Fthem used in plays written a long time ago. Before the automobile5 t4 ?$ }, J& ~8 k- x
was a common form of transportation, people traveled, W+ |/ `1 C5 J
in buggies drawn by horses. Now when you hear or
) L0 s' A2 H/ H2 V( J! q @see the word buggy you are inclined to think of something
! r0 s! y( Q+ [: Cold-fashioned or insect-ridden.2 t' J. a$ @& Q3 K5 S, ~
Many words have changed their meanings. For example,
" s7 \8 D8 T9 U2 i$ _sly and crafty people were once described as "pretty." At
& s' z0 m. M7 \* }& K" g0 t+ Jone time, when people wanted to picture someone as stupid. t( X4 w9 n+ B6 D: S9 x
and ignorant they referred to that person as "nice." Today,
7 W# S7 m% Y- K1 i9 W& ]if someone tells us we are "nice" and "pretty," we feel flattered,
9 X B4 o3 V' q2 O/ O6 H3 D: qnot insulted.3 D2 L4 A# K) L) q
These are only a few of the ways in which language
; J8 I$ a* S1 v3 V8 hchanges and grows. By knowing how words become part of
- q/ L% X% Z! F- ~; L4 v& a/ P9 Ea language, you discover important clues to social, political,& h# N: H2 a3 z/ G3 r1 l( X
and cultural changes that take place in the history of a
% J& R7 C, {4 Bcountry using that language.
) s N: a3 U# r6 d, z3 w9 ?% E* u The story of how English originated is a fascinating one.% K- r: q! u+ u( V" \
6 y, T& i# M/ Z* i+ ]How English began
' D* f- \/ U! ]6 ?% M& \' zEnglish comes from a common ancestral language believed" R+ g; | p; E- d% w, S4 r" _
to have existed a very long time ago. It has been called6 l( w* `" b6 h1 c% V- g5 }
Indo-European. About 4,500 years ago, the people who
( r, @2 J7 g. V# d/ Pspoke varying forms of this language split into groups that
' E D; K8 n: [# ?drifted into Europe and parts of Asia. Different speech communities! j8 n/ }6 {' t$ C+ M; t4 x F% q
developed within these widespread groups eventually/ G( o7 w+ \: k" M4 f
giving rise to several languages including Latin, from
8 l6 b( t- n6 W) F- k, Y( u& s( [which many of the languages spoken in Europe today developed.* c& h7 e, l; ^/ M1 Y4 n
One group of Indo-European languages is known as
) m" _ X# Z4 T# `( E1 UGermanic, and this is the primary parent language of English6 F$ \7 Y: \3 f9 b
and German./ k2 \9 n/ ?' L
Warrior-adventurers, who spoke Germanic, invaded what# e# p* c% t, k2 p- w' D
is now Great Britain about A.D. 450. The invaders—called
) W1 k$ F2 J9 x% w! A j+ LAngles, Saxons, and Jutes—all spoke similar dialects. The* ~* k4 ^* N. [( O( m' N2 _
people they conquered, known as Britons, spoke Celtic. The
}$ O. p+ d4 s( X3 a* WCeltic language included Latin words because conquering% w( H/ V: |& |2 {) t: p# \
Roman troops occupied Britain from A.D. 43 until the 400's.
! Y% ?9 \% r" a) F: ` j- o) i4 HThe troops had to return home to defend Rome against invading
9 R5 \4 ]% ~3 \9 j* j* Narmies. The Germanic tribes conquered Britain after
* L, G5 e; T3 d8 w; H2 wthe Romans left.: T o# ^8 r d6 z
As the invading tribes took over and settled in Britain, the
9 X* j# m( ^% g8 FCeltic languages gradually retreated. Since the Celtic people
7 ~* F4 n# L3 \/ S( C9 ~. m: h0 |8 rwere forced to communicate with their rulers, the history of
9 y, z2 P2 i3 I1 _( w# `the English language begins with the take-over of Britain by
# ^1 |. O. _8 c5 t! R7 Uthe Germanic tribes. As a result, Celtic made only a small
3 \: t' l$ C" W5 acontribution to the English vocabulary with words such as
8 @: @* b8 w6 K3 T" y+ j: w s; @crag and bin. However, many place names were adopted$ o4 _; n1 H x- S/ U0 j# k' Z
from the Celtic. Among them are Avon, Kent, London, Q$ r+ Q0 G/ j& q' {' g7 }
Ouse, and Thames. Small groups of people living in Ireland,
4 U( }+ w, n. L! {Wales, and the Scottish Highlands still speak varieties of Celtic, u2 w5 s) E" h
such as Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, and recently
\' B' R6 ?# H2 {- Y9 }2 |revived Irish.
) c( [( a: z+ Q0 z- ^' i
; L; \" v* N/ i4 J& r2 VOld English# ` ^" G% f( j9 H" i
The Angles and Saxons occupied a large part of Britain. The0 l# I6 F- i. v1 A& t) H# M
name of one of the former tribes eventually became the/ P0 |( b* P O
name of the land they occupied, England. The Anglo-Saxon8 z" o; M) A5 u% o, B6 n
language, now usually called Old English, became firmly established
7 O; B$ U- u z, Bin Britain in the period from the A.D. 500's to 1066.7 U7 j" K! s( `0 X" F
Even as this happened, changes were taking place. Latinspeaking
5 _% e. G X! q& t' f; S3 a6 Y4 VRoman and Celtic missionaries under St. Augustine,
" r* I5 p3 A/ v' X- S9 ]began spreading Christianity in Britain. The introduction of8 @! [& P" n. ]
Christianity exerted a great impact on the English language.
% z& O" u! ~! L1 u( F! N }Religion brought with it many new ideas and customs. And2 B: T2 J( p. B' Y6 i
Christianity used Latin. In their attempt to identify and deal, G- p9 J' M) v
with all these new ideas and customs, the Anglo-Saxons did6 y0 |$ Z4 X/ E& l' z
not hesitate to borrow from Latin the special vocabulary
1 a; L( ^- G" [# x t0 k- J7 B- G- aneeded for the new religious life. Among the words taken
& ~2 m% X% Q4 |. Y4 Xfrom Church Latin which still survive are:: q1 n" c( e. N V5 ^
8 N, f8 L) I. A5 h4 C, Q pLatin Old English Modern English
3 P, P; d% _( f8 e8 U" p6 xabbatis abbod abbot: u ?( O" j# x+ m
candela candel candle: t9 k9 V8 P* s- \" \
altare altar altar4 P$ w- g8 M! ]0 s/ Z. e, T' P2 I
amen amen amen& ~1 g/ N- }" b) z l, I6 G
apostolus apostol apostle
7 Q9 y, a7 U( H' a1 E6 E) q, D G# T( T- d: M( H
However, users of Old English did not borrow as heavily
% l( c" n1 w& a8 Qfrom Latin and other languages in this period as they did
2 w) J! H1 m/ j" mlater when there was greater communication with the Continent.
2 X4 T$ j* A0 i& `5 l4 fSometimes they changed the meanings of native
4 Q9 Y& b B' t) u r# z. Ewords. The word for Easter (eastron) originally was the) A" M) g3 O( ~; Z
name for the spring festival honoring the goddess of dawn.
* F" _! W+ U0 S3 U. mCeol (Yule), the name of the festival held to celebrate the% [+ n$ d% I& }5 c$ s4 P0 g
passing of the shortest day of the year, came to denote7 { r, H' x: j, _6 \' k4 | R
Christmas.
% ~) { ~+ i0 K) S, l& v1 Z Native ingenuity was shown in creating new words by7 e+ {* [2 L9 P- R( k3 G
combining two native words in much the same way as we: A" a' c+ r/ Q) A$ u
now combine words such as space and worthy to form% K$ t; S* n/ U" e; g7 r
spaceworthy. Old English words such as Icececraft (leechcraft),
* a/ f# x7 L" \+ j8 g4 ~& O4 V$ _9 [meaning medicine, and handboc (handbook), meaning: o }0 U: \$ q8 P, J- K) U
manual, illustrate this practice.+ o; V o, K5 l
The growth of the Old English vocabulary during this
" b4 b6 ?/ Q3 ^& M& |$ Jperiod of language history reflects the growth of English culture.
: z0 M: T# k5 f2 n5 r2 q# FBecause of the Church's influence, scholarship was encouraged; p( f8 D+ p% d3 T
and Britain began its rise as one of the intellectual0 } H5 V* i) l. [2 r4 K
leaders of Europe.2 y) c5 j2 B% ]- A. q
Toward the end of the 700's, hardy Vikings from Denmark,
+ ~; u$ r7 ?( T' G$ JNorway, and Sweden began invading and settling in
6 w5 p2 n7 C9 J) p: N! omany parts of Britain. By the 1000's, a Danish king ruled
- Z5 `6 O8 R% y# |- i2 A9 ZBritain. As a result of the invasions from the Danish peninsula,' q; P$ x- n. G9 M, G
many Scandinavian words became part of English.4 y, l0 S+ @. p" I$ u( i' [( ~( i+ o
These did not identify new ideas and objects. They were everyday
8 O, F/ f6 N" ]% @4 S' Ywords for which the English already had terms and expressions.
$ ?; z+ Z# n0 x& h6 E- |4 Y Why did the Scandinavian words exist side by side with" L: j5 m/ o/ j' b# `2 U
English words instead of replacing them? The Scandinavian
5 d3 F, t# c0 C: Uinvaders were Germanic people like the Anglo-Saxons. Their9 v, W8 M: H& j5 k/ N* F
cultures were similar and their languages enough alike so6 K1 A& w, x1 O2 ^! d5 W1 W7 S
that they understood one another. Many words were exactly
: m; J. U2 v7 ~. dalike, such as father, husband, house, life, man, mother,, F+ `1 i* T; s, a+ p" x/ _
summer, wife, and winter. Other words were so much alike
# q- g* h+ L6 O* G0 f0 G) G: gthey were used interchangeably.; k8 V4 Q5 ]; ]) E: {( g& Y) E
Although the Scandinavians and the English fought each1 B* n+ Y' {& Z+ ], X" Z
other, many Scandinavians settled peacefully in Britain, married
6 c4 d0 L+ y" ~& oEnglish women, and raised families. Often both languages. A3 u, W0 Y* o1 m' `8 R4 S* d' q
were spoken in the same household. Where different A: N0 F0 ~% o" B1 \
words existed for the same thing, the Old English word usually- N1 G# |% E2 P5 i1 z5 ?
won out, but there were some exceptions. The results of7 j/ w: O1 X% y) H& x3 Q7 i2 @" ^
this absorption of language through close contact is seen in
1 l! D$ a. t6 [ C% cthe histories of such words from Scandinavia as skirt, skill,. t6 \4 D! Z) c# z/ u+ o
window, leg, gasp, birth, glitter, they, their, them, egg.' s1 k6 ^$ p6 E2 K ~
Scholars believe that at least 900 words of Scandinavian
6 {# L2 g# @( h U- L4 V* n& borigin have survived in modern Standard English. Many6 K- s. \( V+ T* P: C+ S9 t
more are still in use in Great Britain. They are found in dialects
* N( ~' J4 T$ f3 W7 ]7 E% D0 pspoken in regions heavily settled by the Swedes,6 R- m' d9 b" _, P4 g/ W+ V
Danes, and Norse in those early days., r0 Z- B% p' O
2 a) y6 e# i2 Q/ H
Middle English
- n6 m! u" w5 B* f7 ~Old English began to undergo a great change when the Normans& G' b' _0 P0 L
invaded England from France in 1066. Until then, in6 X( E$ H) D, M5 s2 ]3 W
spite of the Latin brought in by the introduction of Christianity,% z! {' |5 v3 J: G& v0 W* T
the influence on English was overwhelmingly Germanic.
, ~4 J6 P* I6 j5 f9 R) p; CThe Normans began a process that brought many4 {' y9 A; o v7 f2 C2 S& d- L5 _0 [
French words into the English language. They replaced the8 [0 Q/ W8 \2 k6 R
English as rulers, chief landholders, and church officials and0 z! C" X: N* l" j! D( P
Norman-French became the language of the ruling class.
) ?: r1 `7 H; N9 @% \& Y2 MHowever, the common people continued to speak English.6 s, P/ i+ s$ ~. |% ~7 y7 V/ I
Norman-French and Old,English existed side by side until
, ]0 j5 ^# z) P4 `* I u4 Opolitical and social changes began to favor the use of English& D' g) a1 z% k( V1 Z
by all classes. The Normans lost control of their territory in7 p0 R( h' P5 M" Y' ^
France in the early 1200's. Confined to Britain, the Normans
6 I5 S; q7 f/ F2 t, Ybegan to learn English. Eventually, it replaced French as the
( x, k3 D- n1 F. J; elanguage of the ruling class, the schools, and the courts. By7 |+ B6 c% e) F5 ^( z
the end of what is known as the Middle English period1 r% @. T( a# G! f
(1100-1500), English again had established itself as the major
1 X) n3 ^2 i1 p6 K# nlanguage in Britain.& A/ \( E% Z9 t1 l. G0 P3 q
During this period, English continued to borrow words4 Y% n+ _3 k4 \7 E" @, k
from French and from Latin. In the English we now speak,
& z- P# r$ m" p6 \) }# k: C% V/ Rmore than half of the words in common use come from
- i5 [2 n; u r* Q2 l# dthese two sources. Many words from Old English and Anglo-' e9 k. S- B, `4 a8 q$ }3 A
French that are roughly synonymous exist side by side today.# N0 p; O8 |* b: b! @
For example, dress and clothes, aid and help, royal6 E: c$ f w! Y# H
and kingly. In addition, trade between Britain and the Low
# N7 l' d* }' `5 |Countries, especially Holland, accounts for the inclusion of
1 ? X& ]' V3 @( C. E) b% F, Lperhaps as many as 2,500 words of Dutch origin in the English
: P. z! h4 d5 X; V( K# S9 flanguage. Some examples are: boom (at the bottom of a
$ v7 ~8 v1 h; m6 x; D1 bsail), deck, easel, etch, freight, furlough, and stoop (porch
. v* }" E( W5 S$ _or entrance).
# X0 V7 S( {8 E% [ Before the Norman invasion, a great change in English9 ~; ]# Q1 Z% I) R: o
was beginning to shift grammatical and pronunciation patterns.3 @" D5 D4 X1 m2 c8 E3 \
However, the coming of the Normans accelerated
) y. ]+ l- B0 {/ M5 L7 |8 c$ `" \& ~these changes. Everyday use, growth of dialects, and contact
! Z% W# l X6 j( T9 Wwith foreign languages caused inflections (word endings) to% W& b9 {& e( q' }, p D
lose their distinctive meanings and their usefulness. Instead$ y/ M- X5 |3 w* w: ?9 @6 d- G
of depending on word endings to give exact meaning to a* D: r$ }: [0 w {2 H' U- p
sentence, as had been the case in Old English, word order" K' ]0 Y, I6 J) p
became the important indicator.
4 @3 K0 u8 X/ Q8 Z- ]+ i In Old English, for example, To his J>eowum se feeder cwaeoK5 i4 D7 q" O2 Q3 i7 J. |# y
meaning "The father said to his servants" or "To his servants! Y' l' n6 ^8 S
the father said," would have the same meaning no matter
6 G7 f; ~" p1 T) C6 Ohow the words were placed in the sentence. The -urn. B$ I6 ^' {. z1 y$ F! _
ending on beow(um) would always indicate who was being
0 B3 B* ~) y* [- @spoken to. In modern English, if we shift word order to
, {+ e5 D# U& e& a' v% x& Cmake the sentence read " His servants said to the father,"
7 I# e9 @% K5 Lthe meaning would be quite different.
8 U6 `# C4 e: |: d% G& ?1 X English still retains some inflections, including plurals and! H; A4 ~' R2 m3 ?! }
the verb endings. But Middle English had far fewer inflections* i4 ~) A! v* F: x v H
than Old English.
* D, d' F3 Q( v$ ?$ r, \: {1 T" p" P' R& y
Modern English
5 t- L3 x& h9 A, UThe Modern English period, starting about 1500, has been
$ O1 O" f- i6 ~: |concerned for the most part with regulating and standardizing
0 v% t3 R0 C4 B l- Vthe language. But attempts to fix English into a permanent
8 G/ A, N; M# b/ j' \form failed. The way a language is used gives it life,
% ^7 ~( J3 F9 u, W0 Sand usage produces change.! ~& M. F7 K! b* `& M$ L
However, fixing a language and freezing its usages into a8 Z8 ^) j/ k/ v. Y" {! l% g0 @
form that tolerates no change is different from trying to
. p5 j( x& q9 m$ f9 j' O% nstandardize its spelling so that communication between inhabitants/ f! f! Y9 J6 B" r& X& l- E! A
of various regions of the country is easy and effective.
4 u& T/ g* H# d/ L Several factors contributed to establishing Standard English$ }' Z$ G( l$ p0 B& p8 j3 M
spelling and some forms of usage and many of the traits that( r; ~6 t$ k, k3 z- p' K* o
exist in modern English. These factors included the introduction: A: @; {0 \ ` G# y- o7 y
of the printing press into England in 1477 by William/ x- O" n, F6 t) j: n) X1 l
Caxton, the revival of interest in literature, and the growth of% \ ~, H: a8 e, v8 Z7 Z) [! i4 F
popular education.
% c9 P/ v' p; ^! {$ Y9 |6 d( N The need for standardization was recognized as early as T. [$ ^7 m+ D ^2 r. `' O
the mid-1300's. From that time, the London dialect (East
5 a5 Y4 k5 g. z7 U. W" AMidland) was gradually adopted from the four main dialects0 t- k$ s% @, ^. f# V+ M
in existence (Northern, East and West Midland, and Southern)
- ^2 @: A, u0 V0 W3 h5 q/ Eas the basis for Standard English. The choice was made
1 `0 @0 k- U2 ~" I9 `6 f& lbecause the London dialect was the language of contracts5 J8 i' S: A- K/ w6 [
and commerce and the speech of the ruling court. All official5 _" J: s4 _- q' L3 Z
documents originating there were written in the London
2 S2 e/ _( u- X6 rdialect. Furthermore, the translation of the Book of Common: ?9 C3 w/ ~, h! E& \) G; {: i
Prayer and the King James version of the Bible became tremendous. v5 _ x& Z( w# W& u0 T
forces for elevated English.% F& V5 B4 |" B7 I! H) A# M% W# p
Before Caxton, literary works were written for the most# x1 ~! F Z# ~4 r9 a4 P
part in the dialect of the author. Spoken dialects continued! ~" I3 N, H# }; p$ p: ]/ F
for a long time and, indeed, still exist. But, by the end of the
2 C! G0 R! S5 Z& J1 \) @$ p1400's, the London dialect was becoming accepted literary9 C; f( m N' S- ^* X5 N/ _
usage.
6 I) H; I! `4 m By the early part of the 1600's, more than 20,000 different
( ?0 L' A+ N) ^1 S. ?works were printed in England alone. Books were available# A2 v/ u" Q! V8 h) V7 q) y: z0 y0 f$ Y
to all who could read and afford them. The printed# o# d# @# n# X/ z w
word helped to make spelling more uniform. Up until that. m. f0 b7 N8 [$ y2 u
time spelling usually varied from region to region.' `, K6 a8 Y% [) e1 o% z5 G& p& n8 y
From the 1500's through the 1700's, many writers experimented
9 N- d4 W9 d) C; Y* P0 twith words. Over 10,000 new words entered the
1 a' z9 U: O: n: kEnglish language. Many of these were taken from Latin and
9 x8 J% I, l0 [. E+ C/ sGreek by scholars who wanted to replace the forms earlier, B) |6 V2 W8 x* s3 N
adopted from French. Translators and writers believed the
6 E1 i# k* z2 L1 X/ olanguage was rough, unpolished, and incapable of doing
7 u6 G7 }9 }+ ?, E( kwhat Latin and Greek had done, and what Italian could do./ U( e/ Z- d# Q2 f: j) H) W
They set about enlarging the vocabulary, chiefly by translating
/ Z2 t- u6 A# S4 T. E6 A) wwords from Greek and Latin. More than twenty-five per
3 G% L8 t: b4 @$ J& _cent of modern English words come almost directly from3 B' K/ |* H# W' @& t7 i3 s+ P
classical languages. Very often we have two words that go
$ {! N( k2 k2 [2 pback to the same Latin original—one brought in by the Normans,/ t6 b) d0 {! C2 I2 k2 X( m4 q0 t9 a
and one taken in directly. For example, words such as$ h7 e3 Y5 N* `1 D, A7 x
paint and picture, certainty and certitude. The adoption of
3 V: f+ Z' y, |. q d8 CGreek and Latin forms became so abundant and so outrageous. M4 B" f7 B1 x/ h9 R
that many of these borrowings were dubbed "inkhorn- u Y; v9 V. ?; F8 s
terms" because of their bookishness. However, some of
5 S. j$ t- j1 @) j, _$ j- n- q( `these terms were useful and necessary and they have survived! @! P- S, q) ^
to this day. Among them are conduct, dexterity, extinguish,. D* X8 y1 E F0 Z
scientific, and spurious.
* Y3 }0 g; [/ X$ A
& [' a4 k1 \/ J7 RAmerican and British English
0 q6 |- i9 p" Q9 l* lAfter the British colonized America, the English language
3 T3 _5 S! O8 }' y% Rused by Americans began to change from that in the old
8 s' w1 M* q- ~% ]country. The biggest factor in this change involved the need
$ t: a4 M- h. a# X0 H8 \; rto create or adopt words to identify unfamiliar objects. Animals,& p# S4 J V& B$ `
trees, food, and the physical features of the land were; T8 p5 D5 j) N) i' ~* F
different. The Americans took words from the Indians to/ J; W/ T) K3 X4 L2 d; z
identify a raccoon, a tomahawk, a papoose, and a wigwam.; N% K& ^' P2 ]- M. w
When there were no appropriate words, they did what their
2 R/ j: h' D( Qancestors had done. They combined words and gave them* o4 n. n3 q# @$ A% \
new meanings. The combination of garter and snake produced
) |' e- U) r1 {% ~a word to describe a crawling creature they had
8 ?! x; T7 c9 c6 ~* _3 ]never seen before. They named the sweet, edible root of a; |. s$ {! T5 d7 o' r+ L1 k+ v
vine belonging to the morning-glory family, sweet potato.; r Z3 Y1 i9 l5 g% U% P8 I& R* f
They adapted from the Narraganset Indians the name for the
2 u! Q6 U1 u" ifruit of a plant of the gourd family, the squash.
/ W& W& r" t4 \ The growth of American nationalism led to a desire for1 e# `. w' Y" P9 s9 z2 k# D
cultural as well as political independence from the mother
- l0 [+ w# I2 v* L/ x( Zcountry. This, too, influenced American English, as in conscious% A- \# y; J: j
attempts to reform spelling so that in time, musick Z, q! A# |3 J% b4 v# N% }7 ?& x
became music, and labour became labor. New ideas in the
9 K. U1 c' ]( M' }' @ C x' ~arts and sciences and the coming to America of people from4 W# f8 t4 S; s; T) | q6 A
many different countries had a powerful effect on American
5 @! Y6 k( z: c! C9 {5 U. _) P3 fEnglish.
: q5 N7 |. D# m8 _9 J Changes have not been so extensive that we speak a new
2 e3 `1 h! G9 ]1 F& C. O7 `! A, C5 Wlanguage. Many Americans may not know that when an
0 r) o, R' d; d" YEnglishman says fitment he means an alteration, and that6 ] O6 s5 ^$ `/ ]* t7 }, {. Q+ ~
the British goods wagon is the American freight car. But, for
$ S2 s0 y" u, ~" ]the most part, Americans and Britons communicate easily, g9 w% c0 ]' x" j) R
because grammatical and phonetic patterns have not
0 \2 s1 D- J/ {: ?# f% C/ q% `changed, though many words or lexical content are different.& q, w3 W+ U; D) e2 f2 _' {# @8 ^
The gap between American and British English has5 s/ E0 R. n. |
become smaller in recent times, especially with the great increases
& n2 @5 z; R+ t3 tin the ease of transportation and communication.
6 A+ m# d; S/ O8 HNeither the Americans nor the British have any qualms8 S& C9 b! \# ]4 H) H# j( @
about appropriating words from other languages when they
) ]( v: p) W% r% {9 X. ~ Gexpress concepts better than native words can. The British' _. W i X2 |: [9 u" g+ {7 @* T
have taken American words such as telephone, jazz, and
7 _! t0 i& Y# O0 Y3 T7 wtypewriter. Americans take words from many languages.- m+ z. Y5 Y+ `7 ~9 }
English has also changed in other countries where it is
' K1 l/ }1 Z8 `. b, Q. d( A0 Qused. Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and others4 d1 s ~$ z- e: }3 g0 C
have adapted English to fit their own needs. Although all
7 D6 ]! b0 A+ e! Z# v3 E- m5 B EEnglish-speaking people can generally understand each- W( D8 F# A; W& i' R% V3 F+ V
other, each English-speaking country has developed distinctive# z8 I# k" S! ^. q9 ^$ f
ways of using the language. For example, New Zealanders
& C3 a; Z0 J0 Q# Y" P% v/ d, S [refer to a section (a building lot in a city), Australians to
# M6 X9 D* w6 z T ]a mob (a group of animals), and Canadians to a chesterfield
( w$ P- p3 Z) f: z7 c9 M(an overstuffed sofa).
( w. u: S2 r2 Q6 j As long as travel and trade exist between nations, as long
! w2 ^3 D1 Z' O6 T. {2 {as large groups of people continue to settle in countries8 [! D6 |1 k4 l. y7 U
other than their native lands, and as long as the sciences/ t, b: g; g6 H1 O9 d# F
and the arts progress, new ideas, new words, and new usages
) \/ T, q1 p. t5 d# R) Uof words will continue to keep language changing and
0 b8 H( K, H6 ~' Ogrowing. |
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