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+ K* p. F+ C6 k$ L5 x) }- @& F, W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。* [2 E3 z# t4 h1 \% ^9 c# f
1、Where English comes from
. H! V6 y$ E% A, dThe English language has existed for hundreds of years.
" I( P. d+ e, ?1 E$ sMany words came into English from various European languages.- }. T Y. n5 t% q
For example, St. Augustine and other Latin-speaking
* R$ p- }& \* U& ?. n9 r) o/ hmissionaries to England used such words as bishop and
: Q- W5 O7 ^5 _( y8 Ypriest. Latin was the language of scholarship and religion.
! |3 N! @0 X/ C4 TWherever Latin scholars, missionaries, and government officials' `3 x8 ?$ H% \0 Z' \! Q+ E
exerted important influence, Latin words became
2 X% [/ M( \4 Y+ C0 W( x6 H( ?: Oknown. When the Scandinavians invaded and settled in Britain,
8 ~0 a/ p6 a7 P* p- H* b b' Bsome words beginning with sk- were adopted into English.
/ F+ {3 Y% u4 \) @For example, skill, skirt, and sky. The Scandinavians+ m9 y' D5 b/ M, W3 j
also contributed important pronouns such as their, them," q K( ?2 l( v: U, B% g" X
and they. Words of French origin include army, blue, chair,! Z+ {, d3 f0 }
dinner, government, jolly, mayor, paper, and towel. Balcony,
2 r* G& x% m$ T% L, ~6 W9 H: ^piano, and pizza come from Italy; fiesta and siesta,
" k9 k y& S. \ D( A0 Dfrom Spain; orchestra, from Greece; boomerang, from Australia;$ u- n N& e: P
vodka, from Russia; and igloo, from the Eskimos.
0 R. I1 e5 F% w English is always growing and changing. Words constantly
W. A0 m; k, @/ Y4 w/ H) Bare being added and falling into disuse. Many words that
0 s1 |, y2 V( j1 p* b3 `, Hyou hear, speak, and read today were not part of the language" E/ a# {9 Q. z+ D* R4 ]/ N4 |
your grandparents used. Look in a dictionary published( _, d4 Z+ L, K) M: q0 a K% U" h
at that time and you will not find such words as astronaut,7 z+ `, `" [0 k
culture shock, miniskirt, rolamite, and microfiche.
k* V8 \( E7 b, ?5 `Every time new inventions, scientific discoveries, art forms,
3 O. h: S8 F8 ]! D: {) Y' Bor fashions appear that do not have names to identify them,# g+ j! `' u0 n7 }7 T6 K
new words must be invented or old words given new applications,3 H, S* a6 G4 U
or taken from other languages.
. y+ i I1 d. b2 b$ w$ A+ J8 s When words are not used, they become obsolete. Obsolete
2 `% r5 @. S/ [. r' Kwords are included in the dictionary because they are- o" D# [( h5 t. F; s4 T2 |
part of our history and our culture. You will want to know
5 a' T* E' E6 E+ ?what they mean when you read them in old books or hear# |+ i5 i8 G6 D& ^
them used in plays written a long time ago. Before the automobile g0 d; B8 L# Z% \3 \" c3 f( n
was a common form of transportation, people traveled3 X' x7 {6 n$ |* @( g
in buggies drawn by horses. Now when you hear or
' ]* W1 a, m; |" f% m' k$ Hsee the word buggy you are inclined to think of something
; a* ?+ m) J2 _/ W7 Kold-fashioned or insect-ridden.
' S2 m) ?" v! W4 N- f$ H# O' P1 S& Q, ] Many words have changed their meanings. For example,+ z& L. H; |: G! {& w" R# F
sly and crafty people were once described as "pretty." At
7 H' G/ X6 u2 x2 L8 v; c8 E Sone time, when people wanted to picture someone as stupid, w/ s7 f6 N+ j2 d* b" [' \
and ignorant they referred to that person as "nice." Today,
* [* ^3 X* b3 t% eif someone tells us we are "nice" and "pretty," we feel flattered,& D; F: P2 s$ w( P
not insulted.
0 j2 z% }% K8 ~1 ~0 b d) L9 Y' ~ These are only a few of the ways in which language" N# ^. l6 Z, C' A3 `; [
changes and grows. By knowing how words become part of
3 s# @8 z+ m9 h; ja language, you discover important clues to social, political,
: C) A v5 j7 j0 L$ hand cultural changes that take place in the history of a2 U \$ r, k; p5 ~4 t7 o# P
country using that language. |" R2 S' \) v% w3 }
The story of how English originated is a fascinating one.
# X3 k6 @0 M. R8 n4 e- X. N; O1 }; K j* h
How English began- a" }0 F+ G9 n. ^ r
English comes from a common ancestral language believed
, U: o' d7 A: k* Rto have existed a very long time ago. It has been called
7 a4 ]& [, a, d% L/ Q3 Q3 N( o- Z$ tIndo-European. About 4,500 years ago, the people who: A% |+ K3 S* d' r& z( c
spoke varying forms of this language split into groups that0 I: z% L# @0 e5 v4 b, j5 Z0 x! p
drifted into Europe and parts of Asia. Different speech communities
/ h4 x) B x1 H' T- `+ zdeveloped within these widespread groups eventually) u; W6 I3 X6 J8 X- l A8 B$ t h! b
giving rise to several languages including Latin, from
& o6 G3 Z1 Q- @. B7 n5 ^) Awhich many of the languages spoken in Europe today developed.
! L* g* G) I7 ~8 s4 l/ xOne group of Indo-European languages is known as' `4 Q7 s( y& B4 p
Germanic, and this is the primary parent language of English6 W2 I; g/ _$ o
and German., `& z4 P( f5 m4 [" ~
Warrior-adventurers, who spoke Germanic, invaded what* j4 x3 A3 E& @/ A
is now Great Britain about A.D. 450. The invaders—called
1 z7 B2 R% d% n% n+ W+ D9 xAngles, Saxons, and Jutes—all spoke similar dialects. The& A8 B3 g% z1 n9 k' o) x
people they conquered, known as Britons, spoke Celtic. The
4 R5 L0 ~: [1 P1 }4 o' n1 ?! v8 CCeltic language included Latin words because conquering
# D: s. a2 }8 \2 ~Roman troops occupied Britain from A.D. 43 until the 400's.1 p. B: p2 e& s2 f* Q5 Y2 ]
The troops had to return home to defend Rome against invading
- R* |0 W7 P4 z8 s4 Karmies. The Germanic tribes conquered Britain after
; x! U+ K2 G/ `3 H) Gthe Romans left.! e3 I: p7 M" v5 J- g# h8 r# {: B3 n
As the invading tribes took over and settled in Britain, the
: i+ Q( f) r1 [3 y! A: tCeltic languages gradually retreated. Since the Celtic people
* g8 |: m; J' |2 B9 w' i: uwere forced to communicate with their rulers, the history of
( e. e! ^8 w! \1 Z `1 n& ]the English language begins with the take-over of Britain by( ], U% W6 {6 i5 _$ d
the Germanic tribes. As a result, Celtic made only a small
& ]" D: s( q( _' |8 m# A Hcontribution to the English vocabulary with words such as
9 u2 b' E H; b" M# Y7 a( @crag and bin. However, many place names were adopted2 w O$ l2 X" j+ P
from the Celtic. Among them are Avon, Kent, London,/ A" I5 a: [/ U7 F# ]2 m
Ouse, and Thames. Small groups of people living in Ireland,0 Y2 a* b1 d( ]# [8 r+ p* {8 g, s
Wales, and the Scottish Highlands still speak varieties of Celtic
3 s/ J9 \! O( }! a* q8 Lsuch as Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, and recently/ s! J% r2 z. ?# O6 G
revived Irish.
2 p0 E# y6 c/ g: @- N8 u
* t7 B2 g# Z# ?! WOld English
7 u+ u: s* D+ R/ {9 nThe Angles and Saxons occupied a large part of Britain. The7 A. C# o/ j. ^" h
name of one of the former tribes eventually became the
- m5 ?4 s4 L+ o8 }& N I8 r/ U4 P$ Jname of the land they occupied, England. The Anglo-Saxon8 u2 u% W% l* ?
language, now usually called Old English, became firmly established
2 D( {0 u& M6 p* z: w9 u d& nin Britain in the period from the A.D. 500's to 1066.
* v n' m+ w0 j3 T2 e6 W Even as this happened, changes were taking place. Latinspeaking9 G ~0 F. w: H1 s
Roman and Celtic missionaries under St. Augustine,. H n3 i& w! w
began spreading Christianity in Britain. The introduction of3 ]( N$ C& M4 U) r
Christianity exerted a great impact on the English language.
7 h# m2 z/ {+ w( s& |* e$ aReligion brought with it many new ideas and customs. And+ P3 ^& |) S2 o. Q
Christianity used Latin. In their attempt to identify and deal* u) L1 t2 e- n) D- e
with all these new ideas and customs, the Anglo-Saxons did
. B* [" S; p; p% B2 s5 t& snot hesitate to borrow from Latin the special vocabulary
0 m+ c7 y8 h D7 \! G; w, R2 ^3 @needed for the new religious life. Among the words taken
2 y0 J4 N& d7 T7 z! Bfrom Church Latin which still survive are:
! N- C1 R* y; ~5 ~
9 @& G# Z2 R5 G! B/ iLatin Old English Modern English/ H& M' j0 |! I, F- k
abbatis abbod abbot
3 \2 {6 x* y2 W4 g/ [. k7 Vcandela candel candle! r: u: H$ q: E, B+ ]& c
altare altar altar
7 ~- e5 `# C) h1 G/ C& f1 kamen amen amen
) ~: Z9 B1 {& h8 W$ e% Fapostolus apostol apostle
B( x# \, G4 I7 X5 o+ F! ~7 [
2 L- C% \, u8 B! p6 s" T$ L However, users of Old English did not borrow as heavily
" d2 A. U: z' W M+ Yfrom Latin and other languages in this period as they did6 p: {( @1 K6 H- B2 k L
later when there was greater communication with the Continent.
( T+ i$ D2 a, G5 D% ySometimes they changed the meanings of native8 H. ~) D9 A0 `$ K2 q; A7 b( r
words. The word for Easter (eastron) originally was the4 _7 Z- V+ ^, q+ D
name for the spring festival honoring the goddess of dawn.' ]+ a: b# ~9 C/ g. t
Ceol (Yule), the name of the festival held to celebrate the1 X' [$ q) v0 u
passing of the shortest day of the year, came to denote
% m! c: S* Z: f) B2 m4 |% u% E0 Y xChristmas./ _8 y3 f8 U) P: M
Native ingenuity was shown in creating new words by) D! k% y {/ Q, [9 H& s& [
combining two native words in much the same way as we' h0 x5 |/ a, q
now combine words such as space and worthy to form L9 x* o/ R' k8 C7 L
spaceworthy. Old English words such as Icececraft (leechcraft),$ P* E4 e1 {# q) q0 }
meaning medicine, and handboc (handbook), meaning. W8 b+ x1 l* z/ B! ~
manual, illustrate this practice.. u- V; \0 c; ~) c% [
The growth of the Old English vocabulary during this |7 z ?8 ?8 [; }, M6 D h
period of language history reflects the growth of English culture.. \* ~: l$ b) W/ J1 d* Z
Because of the Church's influence, scholarship was encouraged
' i( Z d! ~' eand Britain began its rise as one of the intellectual [1 p+ Y c1 `/ ?# B
leaders of Europe.6 ~5 G# u0 V- }' Q
Toward the end of the 700's, hardy Vikings from Denmark,
8 e7 x; e, m9 g( Y) bNorway, and Sweden began invading and settling in
, G" [ w2 p- ~. ]4 Omany parts of Britain. By the 1000's, a Danish king ruled
( r/ Q; ]% [& `3 \9 }! w) JBritain. As a result of the invasions from the Danish peninsula,. l% K/ h8 f* E2 h, ^) H2 [
many Scandinavian words became part of English.5 L+ F5 p" q7 `1 Y9 a( g
These did not identify new ideas and objects. They were everyday2 P. G6 i* p' }" Y
words for which the English already had terms and expressions.
) J. g H: Y6 S- h, y1 H* { Why did the Scandinavian words exist side by side with4 o$ [3 A! o' _# w5 O! D& l
English words instead of replacing them? The Scandinavian9 v6 l" I6 }, B# y
invaders were Germanic people like the Anglo-Saxons. Their
/ V" b2 t5 s9 C' i* mcultures were similar and their languages enough alike so
- O9 H4 V( P i$ h. _& q3 s) G: ?that they understood one another. Many words were exactly
4 H# W" \% P6 b j* x+ walike, such as father, husband, house, life, man, mother,
+ O4 e2 G( h8 R3 }; S3 P' _summer, wife, and winter. Other words were so much alike
; t _! C' T9 B8 \# y- athey were used interchangeably.
6 u, ~6 i& }' y5 o" {7 T" P4 U Although the Scandinavians and the English fought each
/ H2 Z+ ?% C; S% ]0 Hother, many Scandinavians settled peacefully in Britain, married
4 d; {# ]( [" {' K/ oEnglish women, and raised families. Often both languages$ {# B4 c/ n: ^7 X3 N' A
were spoken in the same household. Where different6 J1 w; }% ^. f# J
words existed for the same thing, the Old English word usually
) V: X% k8 x) t0 g/ G5 g: k% t' \won out, but there were some exceptions. The results of' B X0 V4 s' ~
this absorption of language through close contact is seen in; j1 G5 Z/ r' n- Y( [2 v/ O: n
the histories of such words from Scandinavia as skirt, skill,
% g, J3 _4 l4 Y4 E. I6 xwindow, leg, gasp, birth, glitter, they, their, them, egg.2 D2 X4 L' ?& V4 t+ S# M
Scholars believe that at least 900 words of Scandinavian
0 s$ d ^2 C" D, R* c$ t- }origin have survived in modern Standard English. Many
/ s6 T7 N) U" bmore are still in use in Great Britain. They are found in dialects) a( D) m& H, n- k6 h6 b8 n$ k
spoken in regions heavily settled by the Swedes,, v# m' q* h3 [; ~5 {. ?
Danes, and Norse in those early days.
/ z2 W1 H& p: S8 n; d
4 c# s1 O* Z# NMiddle English- T0 J$ t2 O" h
Old English began to undergo a great change when the Normans
1 s# t( M) m7 U) t6 I, `invaded England from France in 1066. Until then, in7 V m! ~8 S% t, ~4 M1 r# `
spite of the Latin brought in by the introduction of Christianity,
! l9 X" `/ Y* |9 ^2 T5 c) jthe influence on English was overwhelmingly Germanic. Y% V% v" X' I$ [, D' u% ]' E
The Normans began a process that brought many
) f/ o+ k7 d. x6 }French words into the English language. They replaced the
& M! R8 [9 P8 [7 U7 T- ]" D0 |' EEnglish as rulers, chief landholders, and church officials and
. ^2 R- c; f4 k3 e. pNorman-French became the language of the ruling class.
5 J: c! ?9 v T a; vHowever, the common people continued to speak English.6 |/ F5 @; k; ^( S6 e; c, [
Norman-French and Old,English existed side by side until
! L- x* L, T" opolitical and social changes began to favor the use of English
8 T% y. m; Q2 ^: w: m7 W; @2 Gby all classes. The Normans lost control of their territory in
# L# D# q2 [- ]' z2 X: fFrance in the early 1200's. Confined to Britain, the Normans- m8 t# {# D0 p5 h
began to learn English. Eventually, it replaced French as the
( Q) o5 ]' h1 _/ f; W, ?0 K% mlanguage of the ruling class, the schools, and the courts. By
. f; X: S4 t5 Gthe end of what is known as the Middle English period
$ f" K/ @) k; R8 K) T/ I(1100-1500), English again had established itself as the major$ U. K/ n! e* J( [" [
language in Britain.# n% R& s1 H* H8 n. Y
During this period, English continued to borrow words" D% x- ~ b1 S8 Z% N5 r
from French and from Latin. In the English we now speak,4 g3 I( G$ T- C
more than half of the words in common use come from
9 S8 v8 y2 ^7 t0 c1 k) tthese two sources. Many words from Old English and Anglo-
' ~9 z% e$ u8 D R& F% yFrench that are roughly synonymous exist side by side today.
# D- A% z! x6 I8 H8 C% J/ }* JFor example, dress and clothes, aid and help, royal/ z- x" c$ K( a/ H O% D# G1 w
and kingly. In addition, trade between Britain and the Low
- d+ f- F1 C9 h' h; {; i) r; ]/ gCountries, especially Holland, accounts for the inclusion of
) E* r! [2 d& T( S# L% Cperhaps as many as 2,500 words of Dutch origin in the English9 Z5 Y& D v) G) ~: p F
language. Some examples are: boom (at the bottom of a' n: H0 o3 T& L" S. A( `. ~, i
sail), deck, easel, etch, freight, furlough, and stoop (porch
( G* h& q/ a# l! @. o& o5 u4 o) nor entrance).
+ |. i1 J1 A8 S! @, O$ l Before the Norman invasion, a great change in English
% [" {$ v# L/ ^5 jwas beginning to shift grammatical and pronunciation patterns.& A) ]/ B _$ d
However, the coming of the Normans accelerated' a; J( q! `+ F2 t7 D4 l# M: ^
these changes. Everyday use, growth of dialects, and contact9 ?: c8 [1 J. O7 g- w: e
with foreign languages caused inflections (word endings) to$ \( o& A* G) G) j0 l1 o1 t$ O
lose their distinctive meanings and their usefulness. Instead% Y `$ e5 H" \* Y3 j4 M
of depending on word endings to give exact meaning to a
/ q# `- D( {6 K+ b* ^+ U/ S, isentence, as had been the case in Old English, word order
/ I/ u- T! w7 V1 R* b0 Pbecame the important indicator.
% t- Y* f; Z+ S5 \( b) W$ O1 x/ ~ In Old English, for example, To his J>eowum se feeder cwaeoK
5 C' _5 u6 [3 |/ w, X. ?* Zmeaning "The father said to his servants" or "To his servants# A; b- T1 X1 M8 p
the father said," would have the same meaning no matter
1 p j: {9 h4 F% ~how the words were placed in the sentence. The -urn i8 {7 J; l1 v# S. ^: f6 O6 m
ending on beow(um) would always indicate who was being9 H" Q2 `7 y& Y& r
spoken to. In modern English, if we shift word order to$ [' k5 D) ^! x) F8 h7 v9 q# p
make the sentence read " His servants said to the father,"* v' R* @6 t5 q: F9 N# o2 S9 n
the meaning would be quite different.
! K6 ?1 G2 x1 [8 s7 ?+ X English still retains some inflections, including plurals and
7 s7 f& n, ^: s0 B3 c7 }the verb endings. But Middle English had far fewer inflections
! y& \0 N! Y( V' B' a5 fthan Old English.
; k3 L# ?; Y2 {; V) G7 C
: T) P3 i) R! l9 b( H3 q5 xModern English. ?8 A1 Z# S8 T) E! ~ R. U
The Modern English period, starting about 1500, has been
+ F8 M: F, S) G& y1 n, Fconcerned for the most part with regulating and standardizing) O- b! t* P+ E7 \, V- M" V* S0 E
the language. But attempts to fix English into a permanent3 e# `( C' E% V2 X& |9 |' I
form failed. The way a language is used gives it life,5 B2 U5 J9 P$ E Z6 D6 ]3 I
and usage produces change.
! \$ d2 h/ @' T% A+ t, A However, fixing a language and freezing its usages into a
1 K3 s }% @- I, Wform that tolerates no change is different from trying to
; d, x1 d* V5 q4 Qstandardize its spelling so that communication between inhabitants% \ P7 y4 D/ Q0 w4 X
of various regions of the country is easy and effective.7 G7 W3 A4 s" K6 ^
Several factors contributed to establishing Standard English
+ u2 I9 S: x8 R$ H9 }spelling and some forms of usage and many of the traits that
7 Z" i; W: D3 hexist in modern English. These factors included the introduction) r, _$ h6 V3 \" J; v; ?$ W& [3 R* E
of the printing press into England in 1477 by William' `; z( t1 i1 ^7 G4 {
Caxton, the revival of interest in literature, and the growth of( D4 g1 e: V( z' `; L
popular education.
- v. T g$ r7 V! q( _ q The need for standardization was recognized as early as
& Y& b1 Z: @- C3 M+ }, e7 X- hthe mid-1300's. From that time, the London dialect (East
5 y% k8 M! B" E7 LMidland) was gradually adopted from the four main dialects
8 ]! \ ~: s) _/ Ain existence (Northern, East and West Midland, and Southern) k0 v/ R: l, R3 t0 n
as the basis for Standard English. The choice was made
/ \& w" v5 |# mbecause the London dialect was the language of contracts8 U: P: Y: w8 T/ e$ F# q
and commerce and the speech of the ruling court. All official7 B7 @/ C' [* x" m# G( {5 l8 \9 L
documents originating there were written in the London
" ?5 N" y I+ l$ P- d( @5 odialect. Furthermore, the translation of the Book of Common `8 u( ^, M8 E" Y* p2 C. d
Prayer and the King James version of the Bible became tremendous5 `- {5 m7 y7 u
forces for elevated English.
1 p+ @4 I* X/ _+ |; K0 i/ R! ~9 j% V Before Caxton, literary works were written for the most
' _. }, S4 @+ U6 X8 Z- Wpart in the dialect of the author. Spoken dialects continued
- |+ w Z/ V7 d: [5 {, {for a long time and, indeed, still exist. But, by the end of the! w, `) ~* @% T, T! V
1400's, the London dialect was becoming accepted literary: J* X) O& s8 M0 i4 |3 T
usage.
K7 A C8 f' z+ H By the early part of the 1600's, more than 20,000 different2 p. M2 ?1 ^* k1 K
works were printed in England alone. Books were available
" V+ }; P- A+ o1 h/ Q2 kto all who could read and afford them. The printed
; n1 i. f$ V L3 U' s) ~0 y( ^word helped to make spelling more uniform. Up until that5 @) w, q% i& ]# X! X# P6 @
time spelling usually varied from region to region.
7 n. z/ |1 b' q; J From the 1500's through the 1700's, many writers experimented
# S. g3 a3 c% S+ fwith words. Over 10,000 new words entered the
3 v; r# P/ ]9 O7 bEnglish language. Many of these were taken from Latin and6 U9 c. @& M! z& Y8 A9 P# k
Greek by scholars who wanted to replace the forms earlier
- B, t$ c7 l% }7 B% D; A& Wadopted from French. Translators and writers believed the
4 k, F/ y' V4 v! `) F; G2 Z5 [language was rough, unpolished, and incapable of doing
5 y1 h! {( `1 j( L9 @what Latin and Greek had done, and what Italian could do.
1 ?" e+ W8 ?- ZThey set about enlarging the vocabulary, chiefly by translating" [. R n' K. r/ K( Q
words from Greek and Latin. More than twenty-five per
+ L+ q, Y3 ?/ z4 n+ [( `) Bcent of modern English words come almost directly from0 v+ h1 V7 r! H9 a K) S% d9 t" M
classical languages. Very often we have two words that go8 Q# A/ w! Q/ s
back to the same Latin original—one brought in by the Normans,: E. }4 T. T4 p! T& F
and one taken in directly. For example, words such as
: V1 Q5 \. X/ E" B# m6 T' W/ _paint and picture, certainty and certitude. The adoption of
2 \# [3 k+ O. M3 g1 i) DGreek and Latin forms became so abundant and so outrageous
, c1 @/ T! a4 A; d' c; q: xthat many of these borrowings were dubbed "inkhorn# b: q$ F2 N( O4 f
terms" because of their bookishness. However, some of
. g4 J$ e n Rthese terms were useful and necessary and they have survived
- n2 ~& u, A6 o- Z+ J$ w; j! T1 xto this day. Among them are conduct, dexterity, extinguish,7 A$ z0 {7 e$ H6 \, q. N$ @0 N) _) k
scientific, and spurious.* n. m' M4 |+ ?) M5 Y' v% h% L v
9 |; p; n( T" |: B4 o
American and British English
, w6 q7 `+ @( A; R! L" m" L3 pAfter the British colonized America, the English language
8 @' S/ G: [$ h( U9 Z9 oused by Americans began to change from that in the old9 A3 X/ B$ l4 a/ ~
country. The biggest factor in this change involved the need
% v- B# h! M( i& l* Fto create or adopt words to identify unfamiliar objects. Animals,
! u$ x& g4 a- j4 D( |6 O: [trees, food, and the physical features of the land were5 K$ I# h# k7 a3 A' y5 v
different. The Americans took words from the Indians to
- M* X' e, Q: f) f% L7 ]identify a raccoon, a tomahawk, a papoose, and a wigwam.
! d, v& h4 x0 Y. ~" M& TWhen there were no appropriate words, they did what their8 X `; |. q8 R. A
ancestors had done. They combined words and gave them& B8 V3 k0 v# c' M9 W5 Z
new meanings. The combination of garter and snake produced
/ A: ?8 _5 H) y( J, Ca word to describe a crawling creature they had
_: A( f/ S+ o% t" @0 ]' b% }never seen before. They named the sweet, edible root of a
6 L! k, e) j' q* N7 jvine belonging to the morning-glory family, sweet potato.
; H. V" q3 T: Y' rThey adapted from the Narraganset Indians the name for the1 M' U1 i* o& E
fruit of a plant of the gourd family, the squash.
; c0 u7 T( g3 H( y' _ The growth of American nationalism led to a desire for3 k+ u! z, j* f" _- t
cultural as well as political independence from the mother- `6 \: f) X/ h9 B7 o( d+ a
country. This, too, influenced American English, as in conscious
$ ]; R* C* ?- m. Y$ Pattempts to reform spelling so that in time, musick& ^" x0 Z7 G `; e
became music, and labour became labor. New ideas in the
8 n, k) F, U2 z8 Larts and sciences and the coming to America of people from u3 E; N* W' H4 s1 v, @% P" x- Y
many different countries had a powerful effect on American
$ t' R, l% u' | ~: ZEnglish., b/ u2 i* ^/ X! q% j$ o& y
Changes have not been so extensive that we speak a new& v" i! Y" z4 l* n6 @6 R% A& W% a! w
language. Many Americans may not know that when an- G/ J" _" n, n3 a' R9 v
Englishman says fitment he means an alteration, and that
7 L& G |& x( uthe British goods wagon is the American freight car. But, for2 Z2 {& j5 b; r+ Y3 S! M
the most part, Americans and Britons communicate easily
. P! a/ ^9 G9 O7 D9 j+ ubecause grammatical and phonetic patterns have not1 t; Y) J5 O9 \* R1 o
changed, though many words or lexical content are different.
) h! `& q2 `: U7 u) n The gap between American and British English has0 E; r8 T3 r0 i' O
become smaller in recent times, especially with the great increases
2 m0 L" [8 d9 X0 t5 L& z, `" Min the ease of transportation and communication.
1 B3 y: F# @! \# R( yNeither the Americans nor the British have any qualms
1 o; D; V% B5 U; habout appropriating words from other languages when they* z# u1 H6 e3 X/ Y1 R5 X
express concepts better than native words can. The British
: R- |5 V9 f# t R8 C) W: Uhave taken American words such as telephone, jazz, and( M# @3 Y1 I+ c# i6 N4 b H; M; w
typewriter. Americans take words from many languages.
! C" h: B a( y3 S: @- D English has also changed in other countries where it is
6 y9 S" k( k1 `9 B- v0 }used. Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and others
7 |: ?: V# F# |! shave adapted English to fit their own needs. Although all' V+ [3 a1 X( Q, o x
English-speaking people can generally understand each
! D2 g6 Z( a. hother, each English-speaking country has developed distinctive# p7 i, g+ C: l5 Q
ways of using the language. For example, New Zealanders
7 b& v, T. A: [5 I# erefer to a section (a building lot in a city), Australians to
9 y0 i' I9 f, w/ \a mob (a group of animals), and Canadians to a chesterfield2 y, {8 x3 p( Y
(an overstuffed sofa).( [. }( ^% u5 k$ K9 J
As long as travel and trade exist between nations, as long
8 ^1 L1 R! a- z9 ~as large groups of people continue to settle in countries
4 ^- {5 `3 u1 |* R* z. }8 q8 l. Eother than their native lands, and as long as the sciences( N' _# r3 _+ \8 S& e
and the arts progress, new ideas, new words, and new usages
& _! A' U8 |! R9 \of words will continue to keep language changing and
% b. R. e9 J& ?& q2 m3 z) {growing. |
|