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
Mama , perhaps formed from the m.m.m. of the suckling babe , is meter in Greek , mater in Latin , mère in French , Mutter in German ( which still capital- izes all its nouns ) , moder in Danish , mat in Russian , mother in English ...
Mama , perhaps formed from the m.m.m. of the suckling babe , is meter in Greek , mater in Latin , mère in French , Mutter in German ( which still capital- izes all its nouns ) , moder in Danish , mat in Russian , mother in English ...
Page xvi
It may have been centuries before these terms were extended from physical to mental activity , from the concrete to the abstract ; and finally , perhaps , were given figurative uses and applications . Thus the lan- guage grew with the ...
It may have been centuries before these terms were extended from physical to mental activity , from the concrete to the abstract ; and finally , perhaps , were given figurative uses and applications . Thus the lan- guage grew with the ...
Page xxiii
N Changes The sound n varies perhaps most frequently . It is sometimes added , the root sound being " nasalized . " Thus the root tag : touch , gives us tangible and tan- gent as well as tact and tactile . Similarly sac : to make holy ...
N Changes The sound n varies perhaps most frequently . It is sometimes added , the root sound being " nasalized . " Thus the root tag : touch , gives us tangible and tan- gent as well as tact and tactile . Similarly sac : to make holy ...
Page xxix
There have been perhaps ten thousand languages since humankind advanced from grunts to words . Most of these have been set into a hundred or so families , every family apparently unrelated to the others ...
There have been perhaps ten thousand languages since humankind advanced from grunts to words . Most of these have been set into a hundred or so families , every family apparently unrelated to the others ...
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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