The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European RootsThere are no direct records of the original Indo-European speech. By comparing the vocabularies of its various descendants, however, it is possible to reconstruct the basic Indo-European roots with considerable confidence. In The Origins of English Words, Shipley catalogues these proposed roots and follows the often devious, always fascinating, process by which some of their offshoots have grown. Anecdotal, eclectic, and always enthusiastic, The Origins of English Words is a diverting expedition beyond linguistics into literature, history, folklore, anthropology, philosophy, and science. |
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Page xii
In the shuffle and friction of these tongues , English lost many of the inflec- tions that had burdened the earlier words . In the Romance languages all nouns are still either masculine or feminine ( in German , or neuter ) ...
In the shuffle and friction of these tongues , English lost many of the inflec- tions that had burdened the earlier words . In the Romance languages all nouns are still either masculine or feminine ( in German , or neuter ) ...
Page xviii
In earlier English , such words as author and Catholic were spoken with a t sound , as we still say Thomas . Shakespeare punned in his title Much Ado About Nothing ( pronounced Noting ) : to carry along the plot , many things must be ...
In earlier English , such words as author and Catholic were spoken with a t sound , as we still say Thomas . Shakespeare punned in his title Much Ado About Nothing ( pronounced Noting ) : to carry along the plot , many things must be ...
Page xxi
Thrill was earlier thyrl . In cur- rent use are the cardinal number three and the ordinal third ( not thrid , although Gower in 1393 said that air " is eke the thridde element " : earth , water , air , fire ) .
Thrill was earlier thyrl . In cur- rent use are the cardinal number three and the ordinal third ( not thrid , although Gower in 1393 said that air " is eke the thridde element " : earth , water , air , fire ) .
Page xxiv
Among other spelling changes due to classical influence are the shift from rime to rhyme , and the transposition of the h from the earlier English rethorick . Sometimes the word borrowed directly from the classics ...
Among other spelling changes due to classical influence are the shift from rime to rhyme , and the transposition of the h from the earlier English rethorick . Sometimes the word borrowed directly from the classics ...
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The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots Joseph Twadell Shipley No preview available - 2001 |
Common terms and phrases
ancient animal applied bhel bird called caput coined columns comes compounds dheigh dheigh N dheu earlier early earth element ending England English especially figuratively four French frequent genus gher gives Greek hand head hence horse human imitative Italy John King kleu known Latin letters lists literally live Lord meaning meant nebh Note one's onomen originally perhaps person plant play plek Possibly prefix probably Roman root says sense Shakespeare shape song sound speaks stand ster suer term things tree turn ueid usually whence woman words beginning
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots |
| Author | Joseph Twadell Shipley |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | JHU Press, 2001 |
| ISBN | 0801867843, 9780801867842 |
| Length | 672 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |