English Words

Book excerpt: English Words: History and Structure is concerned primarily with the learned vocabulary of English, the words borrowed from the classical languages. It surveys the historical events that define the layers of vocabulary in English, introduces some of the basic principles of linguistic analysis, and is a helpful manual for vocabulary discernment and enrichment. Exercises accompanying each chapter and further readings on recent loans and the legal and medical vocabulary of English will be available online in the near future. * Introduces students to some basic linguistic terms needed for the discussion of phonological and morphological changes accompanying word formation * Designed to lead students to a finer appreciation of their language and greater ability to recognize relationships between words and discriminate between meanings * An informative appendix discusses the history and usefulness of the best known British and American dictionaries * Online readings and exercises to deepen and strengthen knowledge acquired in the classroom