Language insights from word origins
by Jonathan Clark on January 18, 2010 at 8:23 pm
A good dictionary provides word origins as well as definitions. It’s no accident that English contains so many words. Over the centuries many peoples and cultures have contributed their words and concepts, and English has accepted them enthusiastically.
Look at these words, for example. Each came from another language, intact. And English is richer (if harder to spell) for having them.
1. delicatessen; 2. kayak; 3. veto; 4. khaki; 5. lei; 6. patio; 7. trek.
Test yourself with these words—how did we get them, and from whom? (Answers at the bottom.)
Word origins reveal the variety of sources for our words, and give us insights about them. You’ll soon understand why spelling is so difficult, too!
We know more than we think about word origins. Think about words in English, then think geography, culture, or history. Think about what you already know about other languages. How many did you get right? (Answers in the next paragraph.)
ANSWERS TO WORD ORIGINS QUIZ:
delicatessen–German; kayak–Inuit; veto–Latin; khaki–Hindu; lei–Hawaiian; patio–Spanish; trek–Afrikaans
