1. Unit Four Vocabulary
via fer port

2. VIA: L. via “road, way”

3. VIA
viaduct – n. A bridge that carries a road or railroad over a valley L. via + ductum, “leading” = road leading

4. VIA
impervious – adj. Unable to be affected L. in, “not,” + per, “through,” + via = no way through syn. : invulnerable

5. VIA
deviate – v. To depart, esp. from a path or plan L. de, “off, away from,” + via = off the path syn. : stray

6. VIA
obviate – v. To make unnecessary; to avoid L. ob, “in the way of,” + via syn. : prevent

7. FER: L. ferre “to carry, to bring”

8. FER
defer – v. To put aside until later L. de, “off, away,” + ferre = put off syn. : postpone

9. FER
deference – n. Act or practice of yielding to another’s authority L. de, “off, away from,” + ferre = to put off (as an opinion)

10. FER
confer – v. To discuss something with someone else; consult L. con, “together,” + ferre = to carry together syn. : negotiate

11. FER
inference – n. A conclusion not directly provided by evidence, but able to be drawn from the facts at hand L. in, “in,” + ferre = to bring in

12. FER
proffer – v. To present or offer L. pro, “forward,” + ferre = to bring forward

13. FER
proliferate – v. To increase greatly in number, multiply L. proles, “offspring,” + ferre = to bring forth offspring syn. : reproduce

14. PORT: L. portare, portatum “to carry, to bring”

15. PORT
comportment – n. Manner in which one acts or behaves L. com, “with,” + portare = carry (oneself) with syn. : demeanor

16. PORT
purported – adj. Claimed as true, but probably false L. pro, “forward,” + portare = brought forth syn. : alleged

17. Pavlov’s Dog/Pavlovian
Allusions
Kafkaesque
Pavlov’s Dog/Pavlovian

18. Kafkaesque
Franz Kafka was a Czech, German-speaking writer whose works often dealt with surreal, anxiety producing situations. For example, in The Metamorphosis, the main character awakens to find that he has been transformed into a giant cockroach.

19. So, “Kafkaesque” refers to . . .
. . . a situation or experience that is bizarre, surreal, or anxiety-producing.
At the amusement park, we walked across a stationary platform surrounded by circular, rotating walls that produced the Kafkaesque sensation that we were falling. It was easier to walk when my eyes were closed!

20. Pavlov’s Dog/Pavlovian
Ivan Pavlov was a Russian scientist best known for his research on conditioned response. In his experiments, Pavlov rang a bell when presenting food to dogs. Seeing the food when Pavlov rang the bell conditioned the dogs to automatically salivate when they heard the bell.

21. So, “Pavlov’s dog” refers to . . .
. . . someone who automatically or instinctively responds to or obeys a signal. The adjective “Pavlovian” refers to such an automatic, unthinking response.
The students, like Pavlov’s dogs, began gathering their things to leave the room when the bell rang by accident.