English for Effective Communication

B.Tech II year, I Sem.

Course Code: 20EN21P01
Module-I
History of Words

Objectives: Students would develop ability to

1. Equip themselves with English language skills related to Vocabulary.

2. Understand different word formations in English.

Etymology: Etymology is the branch of linguistic science that deals the study of the origin of
words. As the English language is living and growing, many of the words have been part of it
for many years, new words are added every time. Following are various ways how the language
is influenced.

Derived from Foreign Words - English, in many cases, has been commonly expanded by
incorporating foreign words into it. Most of the English language has ancient Anglo-Saxon or
Latin origins. Other languages have also added to English.

Additions through Technology: The world around us today is using a new language register
which is basically related to computer and internet usage. One of the most recent contributors to
our language has been computer technology, which has created words such as bytes, monitor,
and disk. Our words often reflect current interests, trends, and innovations.

Additions through
Products: New words are included to English Language through the development of products.
Examples: Kleenex, Walkman, Scotch tape, Xerox, and Linoleum etc.
Peoples’ Names: Sometimes when a person invents or introduces something, that thing becomes
associated with the persons’ name. The person, through time, is forgotten while the name lives
on in our language.
Examples:
Mesmerize - F.A. Mesmer, an Austrian doctor and hypnotist.
Sideburns - an American English alteration of burnsides, Ambrose E. Burnside, a Union
general. Etc.

Words from alphabet: The initial letters of the words are replaced to represent a thing, a
concept, or a group.

The following are examples:

TV - Television
DWI - Driving While Intoxicated
COD - Cash on Delivery
ZIP - Zone Improvement Plan
DIY- Do it Yourself
Word History - Some words also have interesting history. Learning the stories behind the
meanings is a good way to learn those words. The following example will give you an idea of
how history can affect language.

Footman - It was once thought to bring bad luck if a person stepped on the door threshold when
entering a house. Rich people hired a servant to stand at their door. His job was to guard against
a guest's stepping on the threshold. The guard became known as a footman.

Word Origin: The origin of a word is the language it originally came from. English has many
words that originally came from other languages. Some have been changed over years; others
have stayed pretty much the same. When you learn a word, you should learn where it came from
too!

Advanced Word Roots: Word Roots are where many of our common English words originate
from. A root word is a word in itself or is easily recognizable as the origin of other words.

Sometimes word roots have several meanings. Word roots may come at the beginning or end of
longer words.

Examples of Advanced Word Roots

Word Roots Meaning Examples

a, an not, without apathy, anonymous, aphasia

ambul to walk ambulatory, ambulance, somnambulist

bene good, well benefit, benevolent, bene cove,

benediction, benefactor, beneficent, beneficial,
benefit, benevolent
cede,ceed, cess to go, to yield precede, succeed, secession

cide,cis to kill, to cut fratricide, incision, excision

cred to believe credible, credential, incredulous

dei, div god divinity, deity, divination

dyn, dyna power dynamic, heterodyne, dynasty

e, ex out, away, from emit, enervate, explosion

flect, flex to bend flexible, deflect, reflection

hypo below, less than hypotension, hypoglycemia, hypoactive

infra beneath Infranational, infracommunity, infradigital

jac, ject to throw reject, project, ejaculate

 meso middle mesophyte, mesosphere, meso-region

mit, miss to send transmit, missile, mission

neo new neologism, neonate, neoclassic

para beside paramedic, paraphrase, parachute

peri around periscope, perimeter, perianth

retro backwards retrospect, retrorocket, retroactive

sanct holy sanctify, sanctuary, sacrosanct

syn together synthesis, syndicate, synchronize

tract to drag, draw attract, tractor, subtract

veh,vect to carry vector, vehicle, convection

vert, vers to turn convert, versatile, vertigo,

vita life vital, vitamins, vitality

Exercise:

Word Root Meaning Examples

ab away from
chron chronic
circum around

de from, down, away

ecto ectopic
hyper over, above
mal malcontent
port import
ante antecedent
vac empty
fac to do, to make
mit admit
mis hate
Words Borrowed From Different Languages to English

SL.NO LANGUAGE EXAMPLES

agriculture, language, justice, science, forum, circus, opium,

1 Latin
dominatrix, religion, apostle, city, master, paper
art, dance, jewel, painting, ballet, government, salon, brigade,
2 French
infantry, grenade, quiche, beef, salmon
phobia, academy, siren, lexicon, muse, odyssey, democracy, psyche,
3 Greek
atlas, platonic, biology, comedy, tragedy, history, data
blitz, strudel, kindergarten, flak, schnitzel, zeitgeist, poodle, noodle,
4 German
pretzel, sauerkraut, lager, zeppelin, delicatessen
opera, soprano, piano, broccoli, fresco, spaghetti, prima donna,
5 Italian
parmesan, pesto, viola, pizza, cappuccino, latte
6 Spanish canyon, tornado, tortilla, barricade, guitar, alligator, burrito, coyote
buoy, cruise, dock, avast, freight, dyke, yacht, easel, landscape,
7 Dutch
sketch, booze, coleslaw, cookie, gin
8 Scandinavian smorgasbord, ski, fjord, saga, sauna, maelstrom, slalom
karaoke, samurai, kimono, sushi, tsunami, kamikaze, geisha, judo,
9 Japanese
jujitsu
alcohol, bedouin, harem, lute, algebra, zero, zenith, giraffe, gazelle,
10 Arabic
sultan, caravan, mosque
11 Portuguese albino, dodo, emu, fetish, tempura
12 Sanskrit avatar, karma, mahatma, swastika, yoga
borscht, czar/tsar, icon, vodka, glasnost (a term from the Soviet Union
13 Russian
for “open government”)
kiwi, mana, moa, waka (common Maori words used in New Zealand
14 Maori
English)
bandanna, bangle, bungalow, juggernaut, jungle, loot, pajamas, punch
15 Hindi
(drink), shampoo
sapphire, babble, brouhaha, maven, abacus, behemoth, cherub,
16 Hebrew
jubilee, sabbatical, sabbath, amen
17 Persian chess, checkmate, check
18 Malay ketchup, amok
19 Urdu chintz, bungalow, cheroot, cot, many overlaps with Hindi
20 Irish boycott, brogues, clock, dig (slang), hooligan
21 Afrikaans apartheid, commando, trek, aardvark, meerkat, wildebeest
22 Yiddish chanukkah (Hanukkah), chutzpah, kosher, lox, pastrami, schlep,
23 Chinese dim sum, chow mein, tea, kowtow, tai chi, kung fu
24 Turkish baklava, coffee, kiosk, ottoman
berserk, gun, ransack, slaughter, hell, husband, skill, bug, reindeer,
25 Norwegian
dirt
banana, bongo, banjo, cola, jazz, chimpanzee, goober,
African
26 gumbo, impala, jumbo, mamba, zebra, zombie
origins
Portmanteau Words:

Portmanteau, pronounced as port-man-tow, is a word that is resulted from the blending of two
or more words, or parts of words.

Ex: The portmanteau brunch refers to a combined meal of breakfast and lunch, and spork is a
mix between a spoon and a fork.

The coinage of Portmanteau words involves the linking and blending of two or more words and
the resultant word attributes the same meaning as the original words. Where as a compound word
is a blend of two or more words and is different from Portmanteau words.

Compound Words:

Ex: Black Board

Face Book

Merry-go- round

Examples of Portmanteau Words

SL.NO WORD PORTMANTEAU

1 email electronic + mail

2 emoticon emotion + icons
3 alphanumeric alphabetic + numeric
4 favicon favorite + icon
5 phablet phone + tablet
6 netizen internet + citizen
7 podcast ipod + broadcast
8 freeware free + software
9 malware malicious + software
10 webisode web + episode
11 wifi wireless + fidelity
12 mobisode mobile + episode
13 webinar web + seminar
14 netiquette net + etiquette
15 wikipedia wiki + encyclopedia
16 yelp yellow pages + help
Exercise: 1

Write the Portmanteaus to the following words using the hints.

1. Biology + Electronic =
2. Friend + Enemy =
3. Skirt + Short =
4. Sweep + Wipe =
5. Twist + Whirl =
6. Glamour + Camping =
7. Motorized + Bicycle =
8. Math + Athlete =
9. Zoo + Utopia =
10. Pic + Element=
11. Net+ Etiquette=
12. Drama + Comedy=
Exercise: 2
Write Ten Portmanteau words and use them in sentences.
ASSIMILATION OF WORDS:

Assimilation is a common phonological process by which the speech sound in a word becomes
identical to a neighboring sound in the word. This can occur either within a word or between
words. In rapid speech, "handbag" is often pronounced [ˈhambag], and "hot potato" as
[ˈhɒppəteɪtoʊ]. In this word, (t) is dropped as the next sound (p) is prominent.
Types of Assimilation:

1. / t / changes to / p / before / m / / b / or / p /
Ex: basket maker, mixed bag, pocket money, set back
2. / d / changes to / b / before / m / / b / or / p /
Ex: blood blank, good morning, mud bath,
3. / n / changes to / m / before / m / / b / or / p /
Ex: action planning, iron man, open book, tin plate
4. / t / changes to / k / before / k / or / g /
Ex: credit card, fat girl, first class, that cake
5. / d / changes to / g / before / k / or / g /
Ex: bad girl, hard copy, red carpet, second class
Exercise:
1. / n / changes to / ŋ / before / k / or / g /
Ex: action group, tone control, human capital, in camera
2. / s / changes to / ʃ / before / ʃ / or / j /
Ex: bus shelter, dress shop, nice shoes, nice yatch
3. / z / changes to / ʒ / before / ʃ / or / j /
Ex: cheese shop, rose show, these sheep,
4. / θ / changes to / s / before / s /
Ex: both sides, fifth set, earth science, birth certificate
 Activity:
Give examples for Assimilation of
1. /d/ and /b/: ----------------- ------------------ -----------------------
2. /k/ and /t/: ----------------- ------------------ -----------------------
3. /ʃ/ and /s/: ----------------- ------------------ -----------------------
4. /z/ and / ʒ/: ----------------- ------------------ -----------------------
5. / θ/ and /s/: ----------------- ------------------ -----------------------

Outcomes: The students would be able to

1. Use words contextually and to communicate effectively.

2. Develop new vocabulary.