Word Origins

Etymology Introduction

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(Word within the Word)

​Why learn stems?

Learning stems is a faster way to learn more words in less time.  No one can memorize every word in an English dictionary, but each stem you learn helps you understand many unfamiliar words.

A note about English...

• About 60% of English words derive or come from Latin.  These are usually the more difficult words in English, the words people use more in writing than in speaking. 

• About 25% of English words come from Germanic languages (Old Norse, Old English, etc.) Most English words that we commonly use (such as in conversation) are Germanic.

• About 6% of English words come from Ancient Greek (often scientific and medical terms).

• The other 9% come from indigenous languages, people's names, sounds (onomatopoeia), or other languages that English speakers came into contact with as a result of war, colonization, or cultural exchange.

• ​English is a great grandchild (direct descendant) of Anglo-Saxon or Old English, which is why our most common words are Germanic. If you were drowning, would you shout "help me" or "assist me"? When describing your relationships with friends, do you use the word "friendship" or "amity"? (Both mean "friendship" but "friendship" is Germanic and "amity" is Latinate.​)

• English and Latin share a common ancestor (but English does not descend from Latin).​ Latinate words entered English at many times in its history, but most entered during a period of French rule of England (after the Battle of Hastings in 1066) and through people who knew Latin (writers, scientists, etc.) who added the words consciously.

• As science and medicine developed, people looked towards Latin and Greek to name things such as animal species, bones of the human body, etc.

Language families: a metaphor

(for those who are interested...)​

Multiple Choice

Question:

Do you think the words “instructor” and “destruction” are related? 

If you don’t think they are related, be prepared to explain why not.

If you think they are related, be prepared to explain how.

• yes

• no

• not sure

​Yes! Instructor and destruction ARE related!

• The words “instructor” and “destruction” are composed of smaller bits of meaning called “morphemes.” Each part contributes to the overall meaning. "Struct" is a morpheme.

• Words can have prefixes, roots, and suffixes, or just one of these.  If a word has all three, the stems will be in this order:

 

(prefix) ROOT [suffix]

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​*prefixes give direction, negation, or intensification

*roots are just that--the main meaning of a word

​*suffixes help determine part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, etc.)

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Open Ended

What do you think "STRUCT" (the root common to "instructor" and "destruction") means? (hint: think of another common word that has "struct" in it.)

STRUCT=build

(in) struct [or]

on build a person who​

*now: read the definition backwards: "a person who builds on" (piles on, adds to...)​

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(de) struct [ion]​

down/ build act of​

​off

​"act of building down"

Multiple Choice

Question: What do you think "constructive" means?

• relating to something inside a building

• tending to build up or together

• tending to be negative

• none of the above

Multiple Choice

Try this!

What do you think "circum" means? (think of a word you know that looks like it)

• before/in front of

• around

• down from

• outside/beyong

Multiple Choice

What do you think "extro" means?

• before/in front of

• around

• down from

• outside/beyond

Multiple Choice

What do you think "anti" means?

• between

• equal

• apart

• against

Multiple Choice

What do you think "inter" means?

• between

• down from

• outside/beyond

• before

Multiple Choice

What do you think "bi" means?

• before/in front of

• down

• two

• together