1.1. Introduction to Etymology Mr. Sadberry English 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.

Etymology 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/cultures o English occupation of other countries/cultures o Brought by immigrants o 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 the biggest influence on English. This influence started thousands of years ago… I. History of English

The Mediterranean Sea Med = middle Terr = land The Mediterranean Sea is in the middle of the land where western cultures developed. The earliest western cultures were Greek and Roman.

Greek Language The 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 Influence Latin 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 Languages 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

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:

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” “Stratum” became “straets” in Anglo-Saxon For Example:

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” “Stratum” became “straets” in Anglo-Saxon Now called “streets” in modern English For Example:

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” “Stratum” became “straets” 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 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 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 Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straight

Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straightdyna = power

Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straightdyna = powerann = year

Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straightdyna = powerann = year orb = circle

Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straightdyna = powerann = year orb = circlepop = people

Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straightdyna = powerann = year orb = circlepop = peoplestruct = build

Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straightdyna = powerann = year orb = circlepop = peoplestruct = build terr = land

Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straightdyna = powerann = year orb = circlepop = peoplestruct = build terr = landalt = high

Some Common Roots Can you think of words that contain these roots? ortho = straightdyna = powerann = year orb = circlepop = peoplestruct = build terr = landalt = high reg = rule dom = rule