TA的每日心情 | 开心 昨天 09:56 |
|---|
签到天数: 1827 天 [LV.Master]伴坛终老
|
发表于 2015-11-18 17:58:01
|
显示全部楼层
zongyyc纠错专楼
2 U/ O$ L: y) b; N20151118. f2 K4 Q1 ?% E# }4 j: D% v7 ^) ~$ t
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。4 v+ M; S, ]0 f- P+ [
1、Where English comes from* o/ K( p8 g) m+ Z
The English language has existed for hundreds of years.
+ M2 q( Q* V) o4 l2 Q. x. `. XMany words came into English from various European languages.! ?3 h, B! I' A: h+ l% U* b/ |
For example, St. Augustine and other Latin-speaking& B) [: [ l' B) A8 l
missionaries to England used such words as bishop and
' @9 F/ ~8 A3 d1 y0 N1 n( Cpriest. Latin was the language of scholarship and religion.
; O+ k% ]4 o: JWherever Latin scholars, missionaries, and government officials( }$ l( S0 m; n! b
exerted important influence, Latin words became
7 i+ ~3 s6 T$ ?6 s) C/ w6 ~ Tknown. When the Scandinavians invaded and settled in Britain,1 ~4 R) d5 I' `. }& _
some words beginning with sk- were adopted into English.- l9 `+ J: z. K9 N4 m
For example, skill, skirt, and sky. The Scandinavians+ Q) P2 x5 b1 H. ] @
also contributed important pronouns such as their, them,
2 l! e; s1 C7 V1 V3 m* j7 K0 x) @and they. Words of French origin include army, blue, chair,9 K) U/ d7 {! b. ]8 [
dinner, government, jolly, mayor, paper, and towel. Balcony,( t3 w& S. F& O1 m% i& ^- M' W
piano, and pizza come from Italy; fiesta and siesta,
( V) ?: b- S# F6 Bfrom Spain; orchestra, from Greece; boomerang, from Australia;
o& x# ?4 e6 A9 g5 _/ i8 O `5 |vodka, from Russia; and igloo, from the Eskimos.
/ p9 v1 }/ d: n* \& ~0 g English is always growing and changing. Words constantly7 |( P7 [/ L. P( a
are being added and falling into disuse. Many words that
# g9 a) n/ ^: Y$ [% o& \you hear, speak, and read today were not part of the language
- O6 s" X( d* f2 V+ S$ Y3 cyour grandparents used. Look in a dictionary published7 \" U+ ?0 F$ l
at that time and you will not find such words as astronaut,
9 G$ C* [8 @! _+ j# U' G7 Nculture shock, miniskirt, rolamite, and microfiche.1 ]. d+ N: X" X. h" C
Every time new inventions, scientific discoveries, art forms,
% u" f) Q/ o6 ^or fashions appear that do not have names to identify them,: n, H8 ^2 g! K- a0 M4 e. x
new words must be invented or old words given new applications,
8 m. d& d5 r2 e0 O! b' ?" Xor taken from other languages.6 Y7 ]- |- f' @) W
When words are not used, they become obsolete. Obsolete
4 b0 J- h) Q4 [( ~! T; {words are included in the dictionary because they are4 q& G& B! n+ r" m# s( |
part of our history and our culture. You will want to know
' Z! ~: E) ?2 x4 p! ?: n! ]what they mean when you read them in old books or hear
1 x# G1 X" V" O* _5 b+ M% Z" fthem used in plays written a long time ago. Before the automobile9 w" s9 b3 g- J3 w; {+ z8 U; q5 u
was a common form of transportation, people traveled
- T8 z' a/ R: c( L8 Q- Z6 ~9 Uin buggies drawn by horses. Now when you hear or& G( Z9 R K+ I5 q/ D
see the word buggy you are inclined to think of something
/ L- A8 }% h0 aold-fashioned or insect-ridden.
0 @- A b/ }5 X, q- ` Many words have changed their meanings. For example,
) _3 `! ~& H; u, V; U: m, ~sly and crafty people were once described as "pretty." At
0 P7 H, n& n6 R/ tone time, when people wanted to picture someone as stupid
3 o5 s0 o0 ]) w6 zand ignorant they referred to that person as "nice." Today,0 _ U$ V4 D0 T' s' l7 d0 R* R
if someone tells us we are "nice" and "pretty," we feel flattered,
[5 b. f/ g2 o- d3 \& w8 \not insulted.3 j8 v. x) N9 N U
These are only a few of the ways in which language
# i$ D2 i/ g8 M) w. Jchanges and grows. By knowing how words become part of% e! l% k( E3 I/ [) z2 ~5 T' @
a language, you discover important clues to social, political,
, T2 S& Q( [% f/ J; I3 E; fand cultural changes that take place in the history of a) t/ {8 n# N' t9 t: {3 }; q4 E0 `$ E1 _
country using that language.
5 T. ^* R2 t2 E6 w* o9 y# x The story of how English originated is a fascinating one.
# W' c, `( |, k, w
* P1 ~% }$ z% a, YHow English began
: D2 ^0 w$ ~4 n; vEnglish comes from a common ancestral language believed
# w% l9 g/ M% n2 Yto have existed a very long time ago. It has been called8 o! O4 t/ A! O6 ]
Indo-European. About 4,500 years ago, the people who
5 e9 P2 x+ v! s3 w4 lspoke varying forms of this language split into groups that
, D0 B {4 {- H( Q( |drifted into Europe and parts of Asia. Different speech communities
/ [3 ~9 j b/ z; o' S) U) m1 ndeveloped within these widespread groups eventually
1 _4 D0 h( w# {* n. C( Sgiving rise to several languages including Latin, from8 I% m# q' |; j
which many of the languages spoken in Europe today developed.$ G* v. ~5 v5 u7 Q
One group of Indo-European languages is known as
3 z3 n5 ?6 [4 g7 l; UGermanic, and this is the primary parent language of English
) B B3 l' G# ]! A: p3 aand German.8 K+ J& r2 b; c. x4 X L9 J d; |
Warrior-adventurers, who spoke Germanic, invaded what" U8 t1 K: _. y8 ~1 L
is now Great Britain about A.D. 450. The invaders—called$ E6 e6 j# _- }
Angles, Saxons, and Jutes—all spoke similar dialects. The5 j+ N: @ ?+ J+ Z: ~
people they conquered, known as Britons, spoke Celtic. The
# J n5 h. b& {6 ] vCeltic language included Latin words because conquering, A3 {5 d8 h( r0 p
Roman troops occupied Britain from A.D. 43 until the 400's.8 _' S" y- s& v6 Q A; a
The troops had to return home to defend Rome against invading! _5 O, Q- h, ^0 s+ Z/ Z+ l1 j
armies. The Germanic tribes conquered Britain after, K2 F$ ]" A$ H
the Romans left.
$ Z! \2 ], p* L: t As the invading tribes took over and settled in Britain, the h* v9 v) h: i' t
Celtic languages gradually retreated. Since the Celtic people
7 o: E9 R$ a. D2 R: O% Xwere forced to communicate with their rulers, the history of/ s+ u4 Q8 o# i o# I7 h! c
the English language begins with the take-over of Britain by. |7 M8 \1 _& ` ^9 y U
the Germanic tribes. As a result, Celtic made only a small8 i' z: t8 X+ ~
contribution to the English vocabulary with words such as
: f; I4 t; ]$ e% ~crag and bin. However, many place names were adopted
% S, @5 F; ~3 c- i' d( T% T* zfrom the Celtic. Among them are Avon, Kent, London,
3 b1 M, S0 v& v1 W3 O: NOuse, and Thames. Small groups of people living in Ireland,
$ |& P" r- h9 Y8 L! y6 iWales, and the Scottish Highlands still speak varieties of Celtic+ ^* J; o3 b6 }1 T3 z; u7 n
such as Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, and recently% `# e1 E6 m0 k* A. p/ |
revived Irish.9 v+ Y" n8 F, y3 w! D& M- o
$ [. y. C3 \, B
Old English/ J/ k( r7 r1 s1 H" o" ^1 M7 x
The Angles and Saxons occupied a large part of Britain. The
4 S" E1 X& M! E+ A9 C- {4 fname of one of the former tribes eventually became the. i( P! e6 [0 s. A
name of the land they occupied, England. The Anglo-Saxon
9 A5 p- @9 i( B2 _9 ulanguage, now usually called Old English, became firmly established
1 @- j& x% t, B* m* cin Britain in the period from the A.D. 500's to 1066.
* }+ e" w7 C7 E- _& M4 I+ M0 u Even as this happened, changes were taking place. Latinspeaking- p8 b! _" h# [7 {8 u
Roman and Celtic missionaries under St. Augustine,
$ ~+ R& R* X* @4 r7 Z& h. a' T% F! D; _began spreading Christianity in Britain. The introduction of
# j- ~# N: ^- H- G) }2 \1 FChristianity exerted a great impact on the English language.8 D8 P" q/ |' I' M. L
Religion brought with it many new ideas and customs. And; B# B/ ~1 o9 @
Christianity used Latin. In their attempt to identify and deal
" o2 `+ S) X) t. l, e. _, ~with all these new ideas and customs, the Anglo-Saxons did( K: o4 p ]% g9 f5 i u
not hesitate to borrow from Latin the special vocabulary! p j B# |+ ?8 Y2 i. O
needed for the new religious life. Among the words taken
& k; g Y# v3 \* i3 l% a0 j3 ]( Wfrom Church Latin which still survive are:
5 Z1 P/ T/ A% h6 ~) f
H- m L( q, c$ _; ELatin Old English Modern English8 ?1 o+ H! b- `: s( U, v
abbatis abbod abbot
1 c" U8 _" y! g" U+ o4 g; Z" @# ecandela candel candle! w8 X9 }2 d/ W, Z
altare altar altar
6 X' x2 s4 J6 S: oamen amen amen/ Q e# m- ^' X" ?2 c6 k
apostolus apostol apostle
# Z' N( o2 m0 L
* U- r' |, C$ s: M8 g/ W/ h, Q However, users of Old English did not borrow as heavily
2 C6 [9 _8 c$ t! } {, `" ofrom Latin and other languages in this period as they did1 z5 A% R. W4 T. T, l( L5 T! t
later when there was greater communication with the Continent.7 V2 F# `( U {- k) X" @
Sometimes they changed the meanings of native: j4 U/ b3 ]1 Q$ J) B# C- v
words. The word for Easter (eastron) originally was the5 k' M/ g. W% {0 m% ]! I
name for the spring festival honoring the goddess of dawn.9 B( X% i ]1 ~+ {( E% ^; N
Ceol (Yule), the name of the festival held to celebrate the
- `' T! D; T0 h6 g4 j8 f4 Opassing of the shortest day of the year, came to denote
+ Y, H4 k5 h6 y3 uChristmas.
8 s" @8 i$ v4 Q/ i Native ingenuity was shown in creating new words by- G% w( X2 H7 ^" U" D2 p' t5 D$ c; \
combining two native words in much the same way as we( I l, z' z M, N
now combine words such as space and worthy to form" R, q0 S9 [4 o
spaceworthy. Old English words such as Icececraft (leechcraft),
9 G# ]. D$ W; f' u4 G5 h( ^- Wmeaning medicine, and handboc (handbook), meaning
. E- R* x# S' E; nmanual, illustrate this practice.
5 w& }- b5 o, l$ X, X The growth of the Old English vocabulary during this3 d6 R( I& ~# {8 [" q% T3 _$ D
period of language history reflects the growth of English culture.
. J+ V+ b# t0 M$ l+ TBecause of the Church's influence, scholarship was encouraged$ x5 @/ i2 x1 k; u8 K' G: l
and Britain began its rise as one of the intellectual! @8 G) i$ X& G j* m6 B! X1 R
leaders of Europe.
# K5 n% r) t1 J. |3 |1 t- `2 b Toward the end of the 700's, hardy Vikings from Denmark," U& K. B$ k7 Y) N2 Z# Q) S
Norway, and Sweden began invading and settling in9 |. W5 i+ D5 w& R( Q0 g* @8 Y
many parts of Britain. By the 1000's, a Danish king ruled8 X1 ]6 [0 J1 X! U6 ^4 B$ Y
Britain. As a result of the invasions from the Danish peninsula,5 y) j9 A4 P1 H* D( t4 _
many Scandinavian words became part of English.1 W$ X F0 N' V- I1 w# ]+ Q
These did not identify new ideas and objects. They were everyday
% v, k& X7 p, G4 J5 Q) Qwords for which the English already had terms and expressions.8 m2 M$ b9 q% {. P3 N, i6 O; J4 e* l
Why did the Scandinavian words exist side by side with, T, H& j! G7 v6 D% @2 n
English words instead of replacing them? The Scandinavian2 u) k- P* V/ W- ^0 F
invaders were Germanic people like the Anglo-Saxons. Their! m# E1 \6 S) T
cultures were similar and their languages enough alike so
' F4 |- U* l1 e0 w' N: v" f, Bthat they understood one another. Many words were exactly M. i( X# j: M& Y: |
alike, such as father, husband, house, life, man, mother,
4 S& Q x. L. o# j4 gsummer, wife, and winter. Other words were so much alike
4 r. c3 v4 t) F; J1 _4 c. ~8 K3 B; Sthey were used interchangeably.
) B+ Y; q! [5 s( @ l- K* V3 S Although the Scandinavians and the English fought each
- h( | {! A7 G Z3 W0 D6 a4 X# I5 W/ wother, many Scandinavians settled peacefully in Britain, married- s; `! B8 k9 D" W, ?% @
English women, and raised families. Often both languages6 H3 U7 W; q& F+ T9 _
were spoken in the same household. Where different: k( J* [8 I& P6 D0 i2 O, j/ |. I
words existed for the same thing, the Old English word usually- E( W K% D, z( m( v6 Y, e8 F
won out, but there were some exceptions. The results of: B* q8 l: @# K- C5 g8 M
this absorption of language through close contact is seen in
: z) V9 ^ G0 t, q% t9 e) Xthe histories of such words from Scandinavia as skirt, skill,
4 _' @: g: \; k& m- @window, leg, gasp, birth, glitter, they, their, them, egg.
# t& n! t3 s; C% z" K: c2 Z { Scholars believe that at least 900 words of Scandinavian
- v8 w) ~, c! Horigin have survived in modern Standard English. Many- O$ e# k' I% [5 H- B
more are still in use in Great Britain. They are found in dialects! c7 W/ E- k, f' s D
spoken in regions heavily settled by the Swedes,
5 N# L# v1 E2 J1 l8 G& jDanes, and Norse in those early days.
! G! ?8 m( e, g9 P, J$ T
; q( l4 a1 h9 SMiddle English7 b3 O* i9 Q1 A. w6 }
Old English began to undergo a great change when the Normans9 W# [" ^$ M& u/ d1 i5 O' n
invaded England from France in 1066. Until then, in
7 }& |' |0 T; c# fspite of the Latin brought in by the introduction of Christianity," W7 @! T- e# |* G1 {; k
the influence on English was overwhelmingly Germanic.
3 O- U7 X6 t$ q7 g# ?% b: ?( u: OThe Normans began a process that brought many' `- V O: V& Z8 D+ T7 s. s
French words into the English language. They replaced the. v5 ]8 e0 k. ]# J- c3 |5 t
English as rulers, chief landholders, and church officials and
9 H; @% r' g: GNorman-French became the language of the ruling class.
9 N# Y6 \0 ~6 u& w! G: XHowever, the common people continued to speak English.
' u" Y, ?/ F' L" } Norman-French and Old,English existed side by side until# e5 s3 f H8 z% I/ T& [1 S
political and social changes began to favor the use of English
% U; L* Q K4 ]& ?by all classes. The Normans lost control of their territory in" K7 w8 k7 l4 F
France in the early 1200's. Confined to Britain, the Normans8 S2 z; ~/ z9 S4 X
began to learn English. Eventually, it replaced French as the$ p1 s( O9 g$ G! M0 U
language of the ruling class, the schools, and the courts. By
+ U" V* k* F; \ |5 s/ Othe end of what is known as the Middle English period# T8 V4 C$ P6 u2 ~6 R& o
(1100-1500), English again had established itself as the major# W4 _4 F+ e: P# i' M3 a! K
language in Britain.
! S2 O6 c8 R1 g: \3 Q During this period, English continued to borrow words
- p; U: R- K* u1 Efrom French and from Latin. In the English we now speak,
# d) P; p" k% hmore than half of the words in common use come from
3 F' s2 K8 c; _% q- Jthese two sources. Many words from Old English and Anglo-7 a& D- k( a( }
French that are roughly synonymous exist side by side today.
* h2 G3 e1 r, I! S' m5 l! QFor example, dress and clothes, aid and help, royal+ a; X. B1 H# v4 L
and kingly. In addition, trade between Britain and the Low
- z5 F$ [( Z1 y: GCountries, especially Holland, accounts for the inclusion of
) U0 L7 U* S2 X" p8 Mperhaps as many as 2,500 words of Dutch origin in the English
4 b' d. S F+ T) D3 _# B- a5 @language. Some examples are: boom (at the bottom of a
8 k! {8 B+ O, O/ C( _sail), deck, easel, etch, freight, furlough, and stoop (porch" _1 m' Y( T2 K& @# Y
or entrance).
z6 _( J+ B8 h Before the Norman invasion, a great change in English
" h# L5 d) x- @+ a3 W% r3 lwas beginning to shift grammatical and pronunciation patterns.
3 u" V% Y$ b7 LHowever, the coming of the Normans accelerated
0 z0 ^! T) g$ L! @0 j% B2 E" Lthese changes. Everyday use, growth of dialects, and contact
" A4 U2 d. |- i1 iwith foreign languages caused inflections (word endings) to, k8 V2 V9 p. x2 ^7 v) J5 Z
lose their distinctive meanings and their usefulness. Instead( j4 {, G H8 H- P
of depending on word endings to give exact meaning to a' M9 N. N( u+ m
sentence, as had been the case in Old English, word order
# @. B" r; b3 F0 obecame the important indicator.$ `0 ^1 @0 c% J. ?0 ]
In Old English, for example, To his J>eowum se feeder cwaeoK
/ [8 w" m* V% gmeaning "The father said to his servants" or "To his servants
J8 B1 n9 J/ R, e) m2 ethe father said," would have the same meaning no matter% Q$ t7 o D) c; v4 r8 Z
how the words were placed in the sentence. The -urn* ?9 ^0 r# L# N e: W
ending on beow(um) would always indicate who was being
- A% P9 x$ b! d' ~6 u; \0 Hspoken to. In modern English, if we shift word order to' N3 U: p7 c8 D0 A& |. z
make the sentence read " His servants said to the father,"# W7 w+ |- K( x
the meaning would be quite different.6 T; x. l$ p# J5 X& \+ c; _: y3 R
English still retains some inflections, including plurals and/ J! H8 P/ f% i( {- @+ H- ?. z
the verb endings. But Middle English had far fewer inflections) ?- \7 e1 J( R* S+ D D) i
than Old English.
) `; l: ~. H: p( C1 }
1 c6 v( ]4 E! pModern English
0 X# n+ K' n" g* i4 R( cThe Modern English period, starting about 1500, has been
+ r( ?3 {) F. D" P+ x. V( N! U1 Iconcerned for the most part with regulating and standardizing
C. u8 e+ r( {9 _the language. But attempts to fix English into a permanent" A( G5 G3 L! L; A/ a! q
form failed. The way a language is used gives it life,
# U/ _7 @/ c$ \6 b% \and usage produces change.) b, K- q! N3 {" j2 W9 {
However, fixing a language and freezing its usages into a: S) ]1 m" i* _( t# l
form that tolerates no change is different from trying to/ M. b% ^1 @5 {0 [
standardize its spelling so that communication between inhabitants- L7 q) g, O; ~
of various regions of the country is easy and effective.2 ^7 k, f4 v8 A5 c+ G, c2 X* D+ C, X+ ^
Several factors contributed to establishing Standard English
' q" d+ j" X/ R0 x# M: wspelling and some forms of usage and many of the traits that
* d+ X- w3 }" y6 M6 Gexist in modern English. These factors included the introduction8 m! f8 E. \/ c$ R
of the printing press into England in 1477 by William) W+ K, ]$ o! N& @$ O' R" K( i* B
Caxton, the revival of interest in literature, and the growth of' @, d' z) r) s+ k7 J
popular education.
" w( C/ C5 u4 k7 v" t The need for standardization was recognized as early as) v) ?# K* j7 Z$ T7 A) {2 P) T5 m
the mid-1300's. From that time, the London dialect (East, A1 X- `7 A% D# `
Midland) was gradually adopted from the four main dialects2 `. F2 e5 N6 r
in existence (Northern, East and West Midland, and Southern)8 M# ]$ y0 B% \7 Y
as the basis for Standard English. The choice was made
$ N$ @+ N/ u- ^& o5 T& a* v" @because the London dialect was the language of contracts8 ?; f% x: b+ ~" j) H5 J
and commerce and the speech of the ruling court. All official
$ Z5 S* D1 G# X9 a" {, zdocuments originating there were written in the London* E7 q0 U0 {( i* s
dialect. Furthermore, the translation of the Book of Common y8 i; v0 i9 ~* O4 c
Prayer and the King James version of the Bible became tremendous M8 F8 ?1 \4 W# o- b5 h
forces for elevated English.' u3 ]' l( J6 ] J6 h
Before Caxton, literary works were written for the most0 @- H8 j9 S; W9 s1 @) {$ |( F
part in the dialect of the author. Spoken dialects continued! t4 w! ~/ _6 ^# `* x( l/ `
for a long time and, indeed, still exist. But, by the end of the! m+ ^7 P7 |3 u% K1 N4 w
1400's, the London dialect was becoming accepted literary
3 M5 D: k+ ^- S- i! x- Eusage.
4 M% o' V* f4 ~. C2 k2 x# z By the early part of the 1600's, more than 20,000 different
5 x% e; E/ N. E; k- Q2 l( nworks were printed in England alone. Books were available7 I8 _ E d- l$ ]+ e
to all who could read and afford them. The printed
" P" _0 v' O0 ?! b; t: |word helped to make spelling more uniform. Up until that4 J$ f, l. b5 q# p( V
time spelling usually varied from region to region.
" ~2 k& h8 k' W1 R J From the 1500's through the 1700's, many writers experimented
' r5 @6 E# P* t- G* ]) u! iwith words. Over 10,000 new words entered the
0 c# c9 f3 v& k2 L4 WEnglish language. Many of these were taken from Latin and. c5 j: s( D; ]
Greek by scholars who wanted to replace the forms earlier. {+ I% `8 [# Y9 f: Z! b
adopted from French. Translators and writers believed the: E. _* h4 @: @
language was rough, unpolished, and incapable of doing4 e9 h" p8 z8 Y2 `+ p& Y
what Latin and Greek had done, and what Italian could do.
+ Q9 D, B1 X+ a3 E! rThey set about enlarging the vocabulary, chiefly by translating
3 y+ c" z% G/ K0 k2 j7 s0 Pwords from Greek and Latin. More than twenty-five per5 {4 N* Y+ l! x$ ]
cent of modern English words come almost directly from
( E, h/ Q' ^- vclassical languages. Very often we have two words that go& U& u5 v& s9 K. V" A
back to the same Latin original—one brought in by the Normans,8 l7 R& g" P0 g/ V1 B, ?# @. `
and one taken in directly. For example, words such as( P* T2 ?7 I' R, {
paint and picture, certainty and certitude. The adoption of
( P% L0 G1 ~0 B4 G: ~1 \Greek and Latin forms became so abundant and so outrageous: [; ?. T3 d0 e3 z* n: }
that many of these borrowings were dubbed "inkhorn2 f9 ?4 N0 A, v; v2 b" h
terms" because of their bookishness. However, some of% M- `. p) J5 p
these terms were useful and necessary and they have survived
5 U" W2 Y! `) P9 r* ^to this day. Among them are conduct, dexterity, extinguish,
- n9 r8 {* L2 uscientific, and spurious.
+ C. M* D" M" G! I& w- U
8 Q$ X" u; T$ e9 {3 ]/ oAmerican and British English" t# r8 O# ~% ^' U# ?. J# f
After the British colonized America, the English language+ W& E: ^, J. }# g7 k& X
used by Americans began to change from that in the old9 l5 @: x) B5 v$ ^+ c1 e1 X5 Z/ e# a
country. The biggest factor in this change involved the need
! u& @$ a' H& A* h7 o3 wto create or adopt words to identify unfamiliar objects. Animals,
! |& R& @8 a% r+ r6 ttrees, food, and the physical features of the land were; _0 t, o0 @# @5 c5 g$ f5 q
different. The Americans took words from the Indians to! R2 t% `' O2 t z& I7 o& l7 Y
identify a raccoon, a tomahawk, a papoose, and a wigwam.
) i' f: y6 E. [: i7 W* _6 Q% Y9 bWhen there were no appropriate words, they did what their
9 m. T5 C2 J+ e1 R, k0 `: Aancestors had done. They combined words and gave them; a" S! g! c6 s0 M6 ]
new meanings. The combination of garter and snake produced/ B5 U' N: i: r) v/ q
a word to describe a crawling creature they had# ]/ g1 r8 {3 {
never seen before. They named the sweet, edible root of a) K: C _/ ^8 R- f
vine belonging to the morning-glory family, sweet potato.; i: [7 @5 R9 {( U
They adapted from the Narraganset Indians the name for the
2 t: s5 v. n% C( Y9 \& M8 Ffruit of a plant of the gourd family, the squash.; }) J- g: N9 c5 {+ p
The growth of American nationalism led to a desire for
* g& ]. I' M3 U8 fcultural as well as political independence from the mother7 B! `( V9 O* E, z) G
country. This, too, influenced American English, as in conscious N2 a8 U5 m. t z3 }# |$ J: |% q, R
attempts to reform spelling so that in time, musick
( U8 {3 I2 @& \) Hbecame music, and labour became labor. New ideas in the2 Y r4 j0 ]8 }4 h+ T$ o; r
arts and sciences and the coming to America of people from
/ j/ R9 o! t& M. D7 }% E: a. V8 hmany different countries had a powerful effect on American+ d+ [; O1 ]9 k0 s$ ^
English.
3 L' t d3 |) ?* u Changes have not been so extensive that we speak a new
3 X% E# f! n% Z% f0 slanguage. Many Americans may not know that when an$ b# W. C8 v2 n$ Y1 s! ]5 V
Englishman says fitment he means an alteration, and that% s: ~7 q: o$ J5 L2 ]5 z& _
the British goods wagon is the American freight car. But, for
7 W$ t0 \& _8 C. a8 q& pthe most part, Americans and Britons communicate easily" A9 M2 R& L% U! ^
because grammatical and phonetic patterns have not
+ w) |' \. i: i' qchanged, though many words or lexical content are different.; Y( p4 l9 u% P; r
The gap between American and British English has
; j7 p0 d7 k9 u' ?" N! d- Xbecome smaller in recent times, especially with the great increases
/ J [- C' ?8 C( W+ n Lin the ease of transportation and communication.5 ?, Y; c8 V$ G( T8 f# B. I4 H( L
Neither the Americans nor the British have any qualms
T: O+ Z6 Y8 \; ^. `" Xabout appropriating words from other languages when they
8 S( \) Z" S9 Yexpress concepts better than native words can. The British
% o5 e* v n' Q- Z. |have taken American words such as telephone, jazz, and
$ @) h7 Q1 N% A6 D0 Utypewriter. Americans take words from many languages., V( P+ ^7 n5 J5 N3 J, V) `
English has also changed in other countries where it is
$ [% M+ H4 V4 t0 t: ~used. Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, and others
, h! ]" \1 E& I4 ]5 K6 X$ Vhave adapted English to fit their own needs. Although all" Q6 d$ ^+ G! u
English-speaking people can generally understand each
) |& A' {6 {- b* p+ v( c; b' @: {other, each English-speaking country has developed distinctive# u; R, E. W- P+ W
ways of using the language. For example, New Zealanders: Q* W/ W( Q7 h) p' k" G
refer to a section (a building lot in a city), Australians to
& L1 v* k+ R2 y7 _' u: p/ W4 Oa mob (a group of animals), and Canadians to a chesterfield" }4 A; ]2 Q7 X. v% I
(an overstuffed sofa).
! y( T/ _' i6 t' | z6 C' X As long as travel and trade exist between nations, as long' a4 d* q' l2 ]5 t2 _
as large groups of people continue to settle in countries
" \6 d- X* a7 B# c' Z1 N) [# h" \other than their native lands, and as long as the sciences A2 @6 }; ?: R, P7 G2 S9 S" z
and the arts progress, new ideas, new words, and new usages
& B3 R9 h3 v$ k1 Z9 O+ Yof words will continue to keep language changing and
; \8 M3 N. m$ t$ E' O# mgrowing. |
|