1.1. Introduction to Etymology Mr. Sadberry English II

1.1. Introduction to Etymology

Mr. SadberryEnglish II

A Quick Exercise:

Define the word below by relying on its word parts:

Anthropomorphism

• What is etymology, and how does it help me define unfamiliar words?

Today’s Goal:

Today’s Essential Question:

• ELACC9-10L4:• Determine or clarify the

meaning of unknown words.

EtymologyEtymology

The study of word origins, word parts, how words have changed over time, and how words change in contexts.

Where do the words we use come from?

• English is a blend of words from many other languages

• These words made their way into the English language in many ways

o Occupation by other countries/cultureso English occupation of other countries/cultureso Brought by immigrantso Cultural trends and fashions

The English language is always changing!

Three Basic Word Parts• Prefix: exists at the beginning of the

word and changes a word’s meaning• Root: the base that contains a

word’s meaning—cannot stand alone.• Suffix: exists at the end of a word

and changes that word’s part of speech (e.g. noun, verb, adverb, and so forth)

Greek and Latin have had Greek and Latin have had the biggest influence on the biggest influence on

English.English.This influence started

thousands of years ago…

I. History of EnglishI. History of English

The Mediterranean Sea

Med = middleTerr = land

The Mediterranean Sea is in the middle of the land where western cultures developed.

The earliest western cultures were Greek and Roman.

Greek LanguageThe first western written language.

The Greeks had an empire that included the lands bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Persia, and Egypt. The Greek language and culture spread throughout this region.

Alexander the Great was the Greek leader

responsible for the spread of

the Greek Empire.

477 BC – 149 BC

Roman InfluenceLatin was the language spoken in ancient Rome.

When the Romans conquered territories—including most of Europe—they brought their language to those territories. That is

why there are so many words in our language that have Latin roots.

The Roman Empire

Rome

117 AD

The Romance The Romance LanguagesLanguages

LATIN (Ancient Rome)

Italian

Spanish

French

Portuguese

The Roman Empire

Rome

Greece

Britain

44 BC – 476 AD

How Latin words got into English Language

The Roman Empire expanded into

Britain, bringing Latin

Latin words found their way into the

Anglo-Saxon language of the people in Ancient Britain






Latin word “stratum”

means “layered road”

For Example:








“Stratum”became “straets”

in Anglo-Saxon

For Example:









in Anglo-Saxon

Now called“streets” in

modern English

For Example:









in Anglo-Saxon

Now called“streets” in

modern English

Miles of streets and roads were created. Mile is from the Latin word mille, which means 1,000.

The Roman mile was measured as 1,000 paces.

For Example:

The English LanguageThe English Language

This is how English as we know it today evolved over the centuries, influenced by many other

European languages.

European Invasions of Britain

Anglians from the area that is now the Netherlands invaded in 550 AD.

Vikings from Scandinavia invaded in 875 AD.

Finally, the Normans from northern France invaded in 1066 AD. English language was banned by the Normans.

All of these invaders brought their languages, which influenced the English language. These influences can be traced through etymology.

Influence of the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church was the official religion in all of Europe until the 1500s.

The official language of the Catholic Church was Latin.

So, no matter what country, all services in the

Catholic Church were spoken in Latin. All priests and church officials spoke

Latin.

1 AD – 1950s

Renaissance Influence

During the Renaissance, educated people in Europe became interested in Ancient Greece.

It was a time of expansion of knowledge in the areas of science, medicine, art and architecture.

This is how many Greek word roots made their way into the English language, especially in these subject areas.

Renaissance = Rebirth

1400s- 1500s

The Influence Continues Today

Latin continued to be a

universally understood

language among the educated of Europe until the

1800s. The Catholic

Church continued to use

Latin until the 1950s.

Our language continues to show

influences from the Greek language,

especially in the area of science.

England Becomes the Invader

1600 - 1900

The stars indicate areas that were once colonies of Britain, and where English was (and still is) spoken.

II. Reasons Why You Should Learn Word Roots

• You will recognize word chunks in unfamiliar words and be able to narrow down the possible meaning of the word

• It will help you with vocabulary in many subject areas

• You will be better able to pronounce unfamiliar words

• You will become a better speller• Since many languages have common roots to

Latin and Greek, it makes learning a foreign language easier

Some Common RootsCan you think of words that contain these roots?

ortho = straight


ortho = straight dyna = power


ortho = straight dyna = power ann = year



orb = circle



orb = circle pop = people



orb = circle pop = people struct = build




terr = land




terr = land alt = high




terr = land alt = highreg = ruledom = rule

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1.1. Introduction to Etymology Mr. Sadberry English II