Lecture 3.

Etymological  Sources  of the English Vocabulary

Plan:

1.     Language and its definitions. The ability of the English language to borrow
the words.

2.     The science of etymology. The native element of the English language.

3.     The pattern  “ What? When? How?”  - The  borrowed element of the English

language.

4.     The theory of assimilation.

5.     The notion of doublets and triplets.

Terms and definitions:

Etymology is a branch of Linguistics that specialises in the history of words and

their development.
Native element in the English vocabulary is represented by the words which
belong to Indo-European group, words of Germanic origin or English Proper.
Borrowed words (loan words, borrowings) are words that were borrowed at
different times of the development of the English language from Celtic, Latin,
French, Scandinavian or other languages and were modified in phonemic shape,
graphic form, paradigm or meaning according to the standards of the English
language.
The theory of assimilation (by IrinaV. Arnold) claims that English words can
be completely assimilated, partially assimilated or non-assimilated (barbarisms).
Etymological doublets are two or more words of the same language which were
derived by different routes from the same basic word. They differ to a certain
degree in form, meaning and current usage.

1
QUIZ  (to be fulfilled at the lecture) What is the origin of these words? Fill in the
possible source: Indo-European, Germanic, English Proper, Latin, French, Italian,
Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Indian

Word Origin

Cow

Wine

Ship

Pupil (a person, esp. a child who is

being taught)

Pupil  (the small black round opening in

the coloured part of the eye, through
which light passes

Shampoo

Sofa

Philosophy

Candle

Ketchup

Marmalade

Perestroika

Flower

Always