Modern English is Not 100% English 2
Modern English is not 100% English as the title goes. Modern English has over the centuries assimilated words from many different languages.
This is the second article in a two-part piece. Find the first part here.
The influxes of words from Latin and Greek origin were brought into English as a classical learning interest during the Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries. Many Latin and Greek origin words were also incorporated into English through French.
Modern English has also taken a Latin and Greek derived affixes like the -able of unbelievable, or the -ize of monopolize, which are commonly used today. The languages of Latin and Greek have shaped English. Until today, Latin and Greek roots become the major source for English words particularly in the terminology of Science and technology, such as intravenous, polymeric, telephone, cyclotron, conifer, and intravenous. Other common Latin and Greek influenced in English words are insane, adapt, extinguish, atmosphere, halo, agile, dexterity, atmosphere, allusion, capsule, and anachronism, exist, adapt, and erupt.
Though Latin and Greek words are regarded as a source of new words in the realm of science, technology, archaeology and other professional terminologies, English users tend to take words from a wide variety of languages to describe events or phenomena that English itself has no existing name. Therefore Modern English is not pure in its origin, as it is a mixture showing an attribute of a linguistic multiculturalism. Specifically, English (also known as a West Germanic language) is a language originated from Indo-European languages which include most of the major languages and dialects of Central, South and Southwest of Asia, and Europe as well. Here is a list of the foreign language words compiled from the dictionary that are still used in Modern English until today.
Japanese
Tsunami: an unusually large sea wave produced by a seaquake or undersea volcanic eruption.
Karate: a method developed in Japan of defending oneself without the use of weapons by striking sensitive areas on an attacker’s body with the hands, elbows, knees, or feet
Soy: a kind of bean sauce used in China and Japan
Tycoon: a rich and powerful businessman
Judo: a method of defending oneself or fighting without the use of weapons, based on jujitsu but differing from it in banning dangerous throws and blows and stressing the athletic or sport element
Tofu: a soft, bland, white cheese-like food, high in protein content, made from curdled soybean milk: used originally in Oriental cookery but now in a wide variety of soups and other dishes
Korean
Hangul: the Korean alphabetic writing system, introduced in the 15th century, containing 14 consonants and 11 vowels
Tae kwon do: a Korean martial art, a particularly aggressive form of karate that utilizes punches, jabs, chops, blocking and choking moves, and especially powerful, leaping kicks
Maya
Cigar: a compact roll of tobacco leaves prepared for smoking
Shark: any of various large, ferocious fishes with sharp teeth
German
Dollar: (usually abbreviated to $ when written) the standard unit of currency in the United States, Australia, Singapore, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Fiji, Guyana, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Liberia, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and Zimbabwe , equal to 100 cents
Quartz: a very hard mineral composed of silica, SiO2, found worldwide in many different types of rocks, including sandstone and granite
Muffin: a sweet quick bread baked in a cup-shaped pan
Blitz: a swift and violent military offensive with intensive aerial bombardment
Greek
Metropolis: any large, busy city
Democracy: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system
Athlete: a person trained to compete in sports
Afrikaans
Trek: to make a slow or arduous journey; to journey on foot, especially to hike through mountainous areas
Commando: a member of a military unit trained as shock troops for hit-and-run raids
Apartheid: a political system in which members of different races had different political and social rights and lived, travelled, spend their free time, etc apart from each other.
Slim: slender, as in girth or form; slight in build or structure
Bengali
Dignity: the quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect
Bungalow: a small house or cottage usually having a single story and sometimes an additional attic story
Cantonese
Wok: a large bowl-shaped pan used in cooking Chinese food
Dutch
Cookie: a small, usually flat and crisp cake made from sweetened dough
Lottery: a gambling game or method of raising money, as for some public charitable purpose, in which a large number of tickets are sold and a drawing is held for certain prizes
Yacht: a vessel used for private cruising, racing, or other noncommercial purposes
Boss: a person who employs or superintends workers; manager
Lithuanian
Sable: an Old World weasel-like mammal, Mustela zibellina, of cold regions in Eurasia and the North Pacific islands, valued for its dark brown fur
Eland: either of two large African antelopes of the genus Taurotragus, having long, spirally twisted horns: now rare
Malay
Bamboo: Any of various usually woody, temperate or tropical grasses of the genera Arundinaria, Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, Phyllostachys, or Sasa
Gong: A rimmed metal disk that produces a loud, sonorous tone when struck with a padded mallet
Amok: (among members of certain Southeast Asian cultures) a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder
Durian: the edible fruit of a tree of southeastern Asia, having a hard, prickly rind, a highly flavored, pulpy flesh, and an unpleasant odor but with a pleasant taste
Maori
Kiwi: fuzzy brown egg-shaped fruit with slightly tart green flesh; a type of bird which is unable to fly, found in New Zealand
Swedish
Tungsten: a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications
Mink: Any of various semiaquatic carnivores of the genus Mustela, especially M. vison of North America, resembling the weasel and having short ears, a pointed snout, short legs, and partly webbed toes
Boulder: a large rounded mass of rock lying on the surface of the ground or embedded in the soil
Smorgasbord: a buffet meal of various hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, salads, casserole dishes, meats, cheeses, etc
Tahitian
Tattoo: the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc., by making punctures in it and inserting pigments
Tamil
Anaconda: a South American boa, Eunectes murinus that often grows to a length of more than 25 ft. (7.6 m)
Pariah: a member of a low caste in southern India and Burma; a person who is rejected (from society or home)
Curry: (East Indian cookery) a pungent dish of vegetables or meats flavored with curry powder and usually eaten with rice
Mango: large oval tropical fruit having smooth skin, juicy aromatic pulp, and a large hairy seed
Mandarin
Kung fu: an ancient Chinese method of self-defense by striking blows at vulnerable areas of an attacker’s body using fluid movements of the hands and legs
Typhoon: a tropical cyclone or hurricane of the western Pacific area and the China seas
Kowtow: to kneel and touch the forehead to the ground in expression of deep respect, worship, or submission, as formerly done in China
Latvian
Sleazy: dishonest or corrupt; disreputable; Shabby, dirty, and vulgar; tawdry
Swiss French
Moraine: an accumulation of boulders, stones, or other debris carried and deposited by a glacier
Glacier: a huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass, formed from compacted snow in an area where snow accumulation exceeds melting and sublimation
Chalet: a wooden dwelling with a sloping roof and widely overhanging eaves, common in Switzerland and other Alpine regions
Tibetan
Yeti: a hairy humanlike animal reportedly inhabiting the snows of the high Himalaya Mountains
Yak: a wild, shaggy-haired ox (Bos grunniens) of the mountains of central Asia
Sherpa: a member of the Himalayan people living in Nepal and Tibet who are famous for their skill as mountaineers
Lama: a Buddhist monk of Tibet or Mongolia
Yiddish
Nosh: to snack or eat between meals
Glitch: a defect or malfunction in a machine or plan
Bagel: a leavened, doughnut-shaped, firm-textured roll, with a brownish glazed surface, made of dough first poached and then baked
Spanish
Periodical: a magazine or other journal that is issued at regularly recurring intervals
Turkish
Yoghurt: a prepared food having the consistency of custard, made from milk curdled by the action of cultures, sometimes sweetened or flavored
Tulip: a kind of plant with brightly-colored cup-shaped flowers, grown from a bulb
Caviar: salted roe of sturgeon or other large fish; usually served as an hors d’oeuvre
Norwegian
Iceberg: a large floating mass of ice, detached from a glacier and carried out to sea
Walrus: a large marine mammal (Odobenus rosmarus) of Arctic regions, related to the seals and having two long tusks, tough wrinkled skin, and four flippers
Ski: one of a pair of long, slender runners made of wood, plastic, or metal used in gliding over snow
Fjord: a long, narrow arm of the sea bordered by steep cliffs: usually formed by glacial erosion
Thai
Siamese: of or pertaining to Siam, its people, or their language
Ukrainian
Cossack: a person belonging to any of certain groups of Slavs living chiefly in the southern part of Russia in Europe and forming an elite corps of horsemen
Balaclava: a close-fitting, knitted cap that covers the head, neck, and tops of the shoulders, worn esp. by mountain climbers, soldiers, skiers, etc
Finnish
Sauna: a bath that uses dry heat to induce perspiration, and in which steam is produced by pouring water on heated stones
Hebrew
Kosher: adhering to the laws governing such fitness; fit or allowed to be eaten or used, according to the dietary or ceremonial laws
Messiah: For the Christians, this is Jesus Christ, regarded as fulfilling this promise and expectation. John 4:25, 26; In Judaism, the Mashiach (Hebrew translit) is the promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people
Gauze: any thin and often transparent fabric made from any fiber in a plain or leno weave; a surgical dressing of loosely woven cotton
Amen: it is so; so be it (used after a prayer, creed, or other formal statement to express solemn ratification or agreement)
Czech
Polka: a lively dance originating in Bohemia and performed by couples
Pistol: a short firearm intended to be held and fired with one hand
Robot: a machine that resembles a human and does mechanical, routine tasks on command
Egyptian
Ivory: the hard white substance, a variety of dentin, composing the main part of the tusks of the elephant, walrus, etc
Paper: a substance made from wood pulp, rags, straw, or other fibrous material, usually in thin sheets, used to bear writing or printing, for wrapping things, etc.
Ammonia: a colorless, pungent, suffocating, highly water-soluble, gaseous compound, NH3, usually produced by the direct combination of nitrogen and hydrogen gases: used chiefly for refrigeration and in the manufacture of commercial chemicals and laboratory reagents
Ebony: tropical tree of southern Asia having hard dark-colored heartwood used in cabinetwork; a deep, lustrous black
Catalan
Paella: a Spanish dish prepared by simmering together chicken, seafood, rice, vegetables, and saffron and other seasonings
Capsize: to turn bottom up; overturn
Croatian
Cravat: a cloth, often made of or trimmed with lace, worn about the neck by men esp. in the 17th century
Arabic
Alcohol: whiskey, gin, vodka, or any other intoxicating liquor containing this liquid
Monsoon: the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter
Zero: the figure or symbol 0, which in the Arabic notation for numbers stands for the absence of quantity; cipher
Hungarian
Paprika: a red, powdery condiment derived from dried, ripe sweet peppers
Coach: a large, horse-drawn, four-wheeled carriage, usually enclosed
Goulash: a stew of beef or veal and vegetables, seasoned mainly with paprika
Hindi
Shampoo: any of various liquid or cream preparations of soap or detergent used to wash the hair and scalp
Bangle: a rigid bracelet or anklet, especially one with no clasp
Jungle: a wild land overgrown with dense vegetation, often nearly impenetrable, esp. tropical vegetation or a tropical rain forest
Russian
Vodka: a colorless, distilled spirit, originally made in Russia
Mammoth: any large, elephant-like mammal of the extinct genus Mammuthus, from the Pleistocene Epoch, having hairy skin and ridged molar teeth
Portuguese
Flamingo: any of several aquatic birds of the family Phoenicopteridae, having very long legs and neck, webbed feet, and a bill bent downward at the tip, and pinkish to scarlet plumage
Molasses: thick syrup produced during the refining of sugar or from sorghum, varying from light to dark brown in color
Breeze: a wind or current of air, esp. a light or moderate one
Marmalade: a jellylike preserve in which small pieces of fruit and fruit rind, as of oranges or lemons, are suspended
Welsh
Maggot: a soft-bodied, legless larva of certain flies
Penguin: any of several flightless, aquatic birds of the family Spheniscidae, of the Southern Hemisphere, having webbed feet and wings reduced to flippers
Italian
Fortissimo: a musical direction meaning “to be performed very loudly”
Opera: a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes
Bankrupt: a person who upon his or her own petition or that of his or her creditors is adjudged insolvent by a court and whose property is administered for and divided among his or her creditors under a bankruptcy law
Umbrella: a device for protection from the weather consisting of a collapsible, usually circular canopy mounted on a central rod
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User Comments
Judy Sheldon
On June 1, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Fascinating! I knew that English had many derivatives, much like America.
Lucy Lockett
On June 1, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Languages are changing for many cultures, to be understood is to be adaptable.
B10S
On June 2, 2008 at 12:14 am
Adaptation at its finest.
Dee Huff
On June 2, 2008 at 7:07 am
And I thought I was speaking English!
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