The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European RootsJHU Press, 2001 M07 1 - 672 pages There 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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... Latin, and from the latter, the speech of Rome, came the Romance languages, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French. Westward through Europe came the Celtic and Germanic branches, northward turned the Scandinavian, and eastward ...
... Latin, and from the latter, the speech of Rome, came the Romance languages, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, French. Westward through Europe came the Celtic and Germanic branches, northward turned the Scandinavian, and eastward ...
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... Latin), in royal court, and in law court. For some three hundred fifty years Anglo-Saxon and Norman French competed, and gradually merged, until Chaucer's poems and Caxton's printing press set the crown upon their fusion into English ...
... Latin), in royal court, and in law court. For some three hundred fifty years Anglo-Saxon and Norman French competed, and gradually merged, until Chaucer's poems and Caxton's printing press set the crown upon their fusion into English ...
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... Latin, mère in French, Mutter in German (which still capitalizes all its nouns), moder in Danish, mat in Russian, mother in English; it embraces all the nursing mammals. We return to this every time we call something yum-yum. Papa ...
... Latin, mère in French, Mutter in German (which still capitalizes all its nouns), moder in Danish, mat in Russian, mother in English; it embraces all the nursing mammals. We return to this every time we call something yum-yum. Papa ...
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... (Latin panem). Country is the land lying against (next to) the town. We have far from ended the c.o.n. story. As an abbreviation, con may represent a dozen words: connection, consolidate, consols, conclusion. In law, after a woman's name ...
... (Latin panem). Country is the land lying against (next to) the town. We have far from ended the c.o.n. story. As an abbreviation, con may represent a dozen words: connection, consolidate, consols, conclusion. In law, after a woman's name ...
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... Latin condominium, Latin etc. (et cetera: and others). This ingathering is a continuing process. New words may also be invented, or formed by combining already existing words or roots. Gas, said its creator, Jan Baptist van Helmont, in ...
... Latin condominium, Latin etc. (et cetera: and others). This ingathering is a continuing process. New words may also be invented, or formed by combining already existing words or roots. Gas, said its creator, Jan Baptist van Helmont, in ...
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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 associated beauty became bird body called coined color columns comes common compounds Dictionary earlier early earth element ending England English especially figuratively folkchanged four French frequent genus gives Greek hand head hence hold horse human imitative Italy John King known land language later Latin leaves letters light lists literally live Lord mark meaning meant mind nature never Note one’s originally perhaps person pictured plant play Possibly prefix probably referred Roman root says sense Shakespeare shape short shortened song sound speaks stand star suggested term things translation tree turn usually whence woman words beginning wrote young