English Words From Other Languages The American language is amazing. Most of us never think about it, we just use the parts of it we understand. It is made up of words from many different languages. As people from foreign lands came here mostly to settle, they used some of their words so much they were adopted into the language we use today. Some of our words come from countries in Europe, some from Asia and some from the native Americans who were here ahead of us. There are also words from other areas and new words that come to us from such places as technology. Some words were even adapted from Yiddish. Take for example the word Glitch. It seems to have a lot of use in the field of technology. A glitch has been defined as a problem, but not a huge one, which would not be that hard to fix. Another Yiddish word which is probably more popular on the east coast of the country is Schmooze. It is used in the sense of buttering someone up usually to get favor for something. There are quite a few French words we use everyday and never realize they came from France. Did you ever go to that little café for a cup of coffee? If you did, you used a French word, Café. Does your wife like to buy fancy Lingerie? Did you make a Faux pas? I hope not. These are all French words. The word Café comes from the French for coffee but it is commonly known here as a small intimate, restaurant. Faux pas means you made a mistake which could embarrass you. When I lived in Brooklyn, N.Y. as a child, the stairs and landing leading to the front door of our building we called the stoop. That was said to be a Dutch word along with others such as Dyke and dam. There is also Anchovy and other fish names which come from the Dutch. More Dutch words which have to do with the sea are skipper, and keelhaul, among others. I think we all recognize skipper as a word denoting someone in charge on the sea, but sometimes we use it to denote a boss on the land. Keelhaul means a punishment. In the old days an offender on a ship would be hauled from one side to the other under the ship. Different tribes of Native Americans gave us different words. There are quite a few and also names of some of the waterways, cities and towns. The Ojibwa gave us Mississippi and Michigan. Mississippi meant great river and great seas, and Michigan meant the same thing. The Algonquian gave us Caucus, Pecan, Succotash. As we know what Pecan and Succotash mean, I will skip to Caucus. We hear that a lot in government. Caucus is the meeting of party leaders for some purpose. It seems almost every country in the word has contributed to the English language. Here are some words which come from Persia which is now Iran. Paradise, Bazaar, and Caviar. Paradise is defined as heaven. Bazaar is a Middle East market usually with rows of shops and Caviar the roe of Sturgeon. The Chinese have contributed many words to the English Language. I think most of us have heard the words Kung Fu, Coolie, Won Ton and Chop chop. Kung Fu is an ancient form of Chinese defense. A Coolie is a laborer. Won Ton is a Chinese meat filled dumpling. Chop chop means hurry up. And now for the most famous word, Ketchup which means tomato sauce in Mandarin. There are even words in English which come from Brazilian Portuguese. Some of them are Cashew, Launch, and Lingo. We all know what a Cashew is so let’s move on to Launch. It can mean to put a boat into the water or even be a small boat. Lingo means language or jargon. I would like to add another word and it is Zombie. It means someone who died but is still walking. The Germans contributed a lot of words to the English language a few of them are, House, which they spelled Haus. Mother is another word they spelled as Mutter. Name is another word. No need for a definition for Hamburger. Kindergarten is another common word. It means child’s garden as you suspected. The last German word I will give you is Poltergeist, which means noisy ghost. Spanish words in English are very common. Patio, Banana, Bonanza and Breeze are from Spanish. Patio is an outdoor space adjourning a structure for dining or relaxation which is usually paved. Since we know what a Banana is let’s skip to Bonanza. Bonanza is a rich find. Breeze is also obvious. Lastly, Incognito is a Spanish word which indicates one’s identity is being concealed. The Japanese have contributed their share of words to our English language. We have gotten such words as Karaoke, Karate, Origami and even Tsunami among others. Karaoke is an act of singing along to a video where the vocals are eliminated. Karate is a method of self-defense without a weapon. Origami is the art of folding paper into different forms. Tsunami is defined as an unusually large sea wave usually produced by a seaquake or other violent action. Russian words have also come into the English language such as Beluga, Bolshevik, Glasnost, Gulag and Sable. Beluga is a type of whale. Bolshevik was a member of a radical party advocating immediate seizure of power. Glasnost means the declared policy of frankly discussing policies in the Soviet Union. Gulag is a forced labor camp in Russia. Sable is a weasel type mammal, prized for its fur. The English language also contains some Latin words. Some words went from Latin to another language and then to English. Some of these words are Agenda, Ambiguous, cull, moribund and obvious. Agenda means a plan. Ambiguous means having several interpretations. Cull means to choose from different sources. Moribund means near death. Obvious means easily recognized. Our language is flush with words from Latin or derived from Latin. In a way this is amazing since Latin is a dead language. We even have ancient Greek words in the English language. Take the word pyramid for example. The word was actually derived from the ancient word puramis, this is what they called the pyramids. The ancient Egyptians called the desert the deshret which became desert in English. The ancient Greeks called paper made from papyrus which became paper in English. The ancient Greeks also coined the word Sphinx which they got from the Ancient Egyptian word szp-nx which meant divine image.
|
