Etym-what-ogy?

Etymology: What a big WORD!

As we know, words are so often the building blocks for stories. But how many of us think about individual words as having stories of their own? Studying words (etymology) can be a fun and interesting way for our young people to gain a greater understanding of the meaning of words and their origins. Plus, they can learn about some interesting stories along the way. For example, let’s look at the word woman which is believed to have derived from the Old English (Anglo Saxon) word wimman or similar variations such as wiman, meaning ‘woman-man’. According to the authors of the excellent book ‘Language & Learning: An Introduction For Teaching’* words prior to about 1500 AD were spelled as they were pronounced, but then professional scribes began changing the letters in these words to remove the repetition and confusion of up-and-down strokes. Thus, woman and women came into vogue.

Whichever way you look at words there are stories to be told. What about Goodbye? Once upon a time it was ‘God be with you’. Or let’s take the sporting term, cricket. It’s believed to have originated from the Old English word cricc meaning shepherd’s staff.

Of course, not all words in the English language come from English origins. Words in the English language that originate from outside the English language are known as loanwords, and there is no shortage of them! Look at food words alone. Sushi (Japanese) bok choy (Cantonese), quiche (French), taco (Spanish)…We’ll let you do your own research, or perhaps that’s a challenge for your young people?

Then there are words such as okay. Did it come from the Finnish word, oikea, meaning correct? Or did it come from o ke (meaning: certainly) in the Mandinka language of West Africa?  Or check out this link from the Smithsonian Institute that offers a more likely origin.

Technology is also a source of words. Once upon a time an apple kept the doctor away, now you can book doctor’s appointments on an Apple. (A word of caution: if you do like eating fruity apples, ‘bite’ them, but don’t ‘byte’ them. Popular culture also plays its role. Have a look in the dictionary for D’oh! Good old Homer Simpson, eh.

Languages and words evolve. We, as communicators, are contributors to that evolution. Here are a few activities that you might like to try with your young people.

• Research the history of one of more words and write an explanation of their evolution.
• Make a list of loanwords and find as many different countries of origin as possible.
• Choose a simple word (eg: wind, water, tree), and research its spelling and pronunciation in a variety of languages. Are their similarities between the languages?
• Conduct a social experiment. Invite your class to invent a word and give it a meaning. Then ask your class to use it in casual dialogue around the school, on social platforms, and in text messaging. See if the word gains traction.

The simple message here is: playing with words can be fun.

*Book Recommendation (A great resource for educators): Language & Learning. An Introduction For Teaching. Authors: Marie Emmitt, Matthew Zbaracki, Linda Komesaroff and John Pollock. Oxford University Press.