Linguistics (Weeks 5-10 and 12)

Etymology

the study of word roots and how words change throughout history

clipped words

big words that can be shortened

EX: gasoline = gas

blends

words mixed together

EX: smog = smoke + fog

translingualism

bringing multilingualism into speaking and writing

diction

word choice and enunciation

syntax

word order

annotated bibliography

all sources, used or not, with paragraphs about credibility and content

expository writing

explains the facts of a topic (ex. report/briefing, process/how-to); relevance, relatability (terms that can be understood), originality

narrative

tells a story

acronym

formed by using the initial letter or letters of several words

EX: AWOL = Absent Without Leave

eponyms

words that come from names

EX: Machiavellian = a term meaning deceitful or cunning, from the name of an Italian statesman and writer

compounds

new words formed by combining 2 existing words; usually with relationship to original words; can be hyphenated or have more than 2 words

EX: bookcase = book + case

words from brand names

words (brand names) used so much, they become generic words

EX: Bandaid = an adhesive bandage for small wounds

generalization

process by which a word with a specific, restricted meaning later develops broader applications

EX: a Communist being referred to as a “red”

lexicography

the act of compiling dictionaries

Specialization

the opposite of generalization; when a word’s meaning takes on restrictions

EX: “Starve” originally meant to die in any manner, but now means to die from hunger

Development of the English language

Anglos and Saxons invaded British Isles, their language = basis of Old English —> Norman French invaded and brought new words —> Vikings arrived and left parts of their language —> Scholars and clergy introduced Greek and Latin words —> dialect of East Midlands = standard English —> words added to English from neighboring languages —> words used in different contexts/parts of speech —> pronunciations of words that now have silent letter changed, letters maintained —> 1st translation of Bible into English by John Wycliffe in 1300s —> Samuel Johnson compiled a dictionary in the 1700s

The Latin Deli: An Ars Poética

poem by Judith Ortiz Cofer (1993) about immigration and leaving one’s homeland; particularly discusses Puerto Rican and Cuban culture as well as religious themes/symbols (Mother Mary and the infant Jesus)

ars poetica

“the art of poetry”

Parsley

poem by Rita Dove (1983) about the 1937 execution of all Haitians in the Dominican Republic by using the Spanish world for parsley—perejil—to distinguish ethnic Haitians from native Dominicans based on differences in how the two linguistic groups commonly pronounced the word; told from the point of view of El General