-- W 09 -- Word Elements: Together and Apart

-- W 09 -- Chapter 8: Word Elements: Together and Apart

The poet John Donne wrote, “No man is an island.” We all connect with other people in our classes, jobs, pastimes, and personal lives. Not surprisingly, many English words describe how we come together and part from others. Chapter 8 presents word elements that mean “together” and “apart.” The chapter also introduces several words that came into English from other languages. Over the years, as English speakers came in contact with people who spoke other languages, they “borrowed” non-English words, just as other languages borrow words from English.

Chapter Strategy: Word Elements: Together and Apart

Chapter Words:

Part 1 co-, com-, con- coherent collaborate communal compatible concur contemporary dis- discord disparity disseminate sym-, syn- synchronize synopsis synthesis

Part 2 greg congregate egregious gregarious sperse disperse intersperse sparse Borrowed Words bravado charisma clich? cuisine nadir zenith Live Links A list of English words that originated in other languages: http://www.askoxford.com/globalenglish/borrowings/map_04/?view=uk Lists of clichés by topic: http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/sybev/cliche/general.shtml http://www.findcliches.com/wordphrases.htm Trivia Who was William the Conqueror? He lived from 1027 to 1087 and was the illegitimate son of the Duke of Normandy (in France) and a woman named Herleva. In fact, his contemporaries commonly called him “William the Bastard.” His father died when he was seven, and, although he became the next duke, he struggled hard in his teens to maintain control of his territories. A strong-willed man, William married Matilda of Flanders, a close relative of his, against the wishes of the pope. Convinced that he had a claim to the English throne, William invaded England to defeat the reigning king, Harold. When he conquered England in 1066, Norman, French-speaking knights assumed power there. True to his warlike nature, William eventually died in battle. William’s reign of England was often cruel. However, he was responsible for the two-volume Domesday Book of 1086. The first known census in Europe, it is an important source of information about England during this time. In addition to zenith and nadir, many other words have been borrowed from Arabic. Admiral (Arabic amir-al-bahr) meant “ruler of the seas” (or transport). Adobe (Arabic al-tob), which came through Spanish, meant “the brick.” Genie meant “spirit.” Zero meant “empty.” In addition, the names of giraffe, cotton, and coffee are from Arabic. Many words that begin with al are from Arabic; the al meant “the.” Examples are alchemy, alcohol, albatross (a seabird), and albacore (a fish). English borrows from other languages, but foreign languages also borrow from English. The Japanese use words like guddobai to mean “goodbye,” faitingu supiritto for “fighting spirit,” and hottodogg for “hotdog.” The French use such words as le drugstore, l’Internet, le weekend, and le Big Mac. Such words have become so widespread that the French government has tried to limit the use of English words in the French language. James Watson and Francis Crick are well known for collaborating on the research that uncovered the double-helix structure of DNA, the basic substance of life. But others were involved in this collaboration. Less well known is the collaborator Maurice Wilkins, who shared the Nobel Prize for medicine with them in 1962. Another collaborator, Rosalind Franklin, also made important contributions. It is often thought that her efforts have not been appreciated. She died in 1958, which prevented her from receiving the Nobel Prize. Had she lived, perhaps she might have been honored.