Loan Words in the English Vocabulary 从词源学的角度看英语中的外来词汇.doc

山西师范大学现代文理学院毕业论文 从词源学的角度看英语中的外来词汇姓 名 系 别外语系专 业英语班 级0904学 号0990030437指导教师 答辩日期成 绩 iv内容摘要英语因它的简单和丰富已经成为一门国际化的语言，他的宽容和灵活性，是他大量吸收外来词汇，从而具有了顽强的生命力，外来词汇极大的丰富英语，使英语表达起来更加更加生动和贴切，同时也促进语言的交流和文化的交流。因此，在英语中占据着举足轻重的地位，本文从词源学的角度来分析英语中的外来词汇的来源和类型。关键词：外来语;来源;类型;词汇;词源学 abstractsenglish has become an international language because of its simplicity and richness. its tolerance and flexibility make it a substantial absorption of loan words, and thus has great vitality. loan words have greatly enriched the english language, which make the english expressions more vivid and appropriate. it is the outcome of language contact and culture contact. as a result, it occupies a pivotal position in english. this article intends to analyze loan words in the english vocabulary in the perspective of etymology from the origins and types of the loan words in english.key words: loan words; origin; type; vocabulary; etymology iicontents1. introduction1 2. words from the language of the western and orient countries1 2.1 western countries12.1.1. from french loan words12.1.1.1. on law22.1.1.2. on religion32.1.1.3. on politics32.1.1.4. on medicine42.1.1.5. on literature42.1.1.6. on art4 2.1.2. from latin loan words52.1.2.1. on law52.1.2.2. on abbreviations62.1.2.3. on medicine62.1.2.4. on religion72.1.3. from greek loan words72.1.3.1. on medicine72.1.3.2. on mythology72.1.4. from german loan words82.1.4.1. on military affair82.1.4.2. on food92.1.4.3. on proper noun92.2. orient countries102.2.1. from chinese loan words102.2.1.1. on food112.2.1.2. on chinese distinctive objects112.2.1.3. from dialect of china122.2.2. from japanese loan words122.2.2.1. on food132.2.2.2. on japanese distinctive objects133. conclusion14references 14an etymological study of loan words in english vocabulary1. introduction etymology is a branch of lexicology, which is a branch of linguistics. it traces the form and often the meaning of words and history as far as back possible in the diachronic perspective.language is like a mirror reflecting the social life, while vocabulary, the most sensitive and active elements of the vocabulary, is a window observing the changes of the social life. with the development of the economy, religious conflicts and cultural transmission, more and more loan words are emerging in the english vocabulary. the simplest influence a language made on another language is the loan of the words. as long as the cultural loan happens, related words can be borrowed possible.” nowadays, about 80% of the english words are loan words. in the earlier times, they are mainly influenced by the language of the western countries, which are mainly latin, french, greek and german; however, at the present time, with the development of economy and foreign trade, they are also influenced by the language of the orient countries, which are chinese, japanese. but in the daily used language, there are still many other words coming from other countries. and the number of them is different in the different fields. for example, there are a lot of words about the law, politics, religions and the military affairs. and there are some other words about clothes, literature, etc.2. words from the language of the western and oriental countries 2.1. western countries 2.1.1. loan words from french in 1066, after the norman conquest in the british history, french carried out the segregation policy in language, thus making french the official language in britain,while english, which is regarded as the vulgar language, is continued to use among civilians as the spoken language. they constitute about 30% of english words.2.1.1.1. on lawafter the norman conquest, judges in the court all use french instead of english. however, it cannot be merged into english actually. because of the segregation policy in language, french and english are used by different social classes separately, and they are not mixed well. the confusion of loan words on law and english is virtually the promotion of english itself. in the middle english time, the “hundred year wars” between britain and france and the spread of “black death” at that time made the status of english have a profound change; english began to be used in the law field. but owing to the lack of english vocabularies and the real necessity to express the law conception, french and english are confused obviously, and french was almost accepted thoroughly in this language conflict. the following law words indicate that english law words are affected by french deeply.“justice”, a noun, which is borrowed from french justice in middle-english, means the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments. “plea”, is from french plai in the 13th century. in legal terminology, a plea is simply an answer to a claim made by someone in a civil or criminal case under common law using the adversary system. colloquially, a plea has come to mean the assertion by a criminal defendant, at arraignment or otherwise in response to a criminal charge, whether he is guilty or not guilty. “plaintiff” is from french in the 14th century. a plaintiff, also known as a claimant or complainant, is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as action) before a court. by doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy, and if successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the plaintiff and make the appropriate court order. “defendant”, a noun from french in the 15th century, means a person required to make answer in a legal action or suit. a defendant is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. a defendant in a civil action usually makes his or her first court appearance voluntarily in response to a summons, whereas a defendant in a criminal law criminal case is usually taken into custody by a police and brought before a court, pursuant to an arrest warrant. the actions of a defendant, and its lawyers counsel, are known as the defense defence.2.1.1.2. on religiondeep religious color existed in western countries all the time. in the english vocabulary, there are many words on religion borrowed from french. the following words on religion shows the significant influence religion in france made to english language.“baptism”, is from french word baptisme in middle english in the 14th century. “censer”, from french in the 13th century, while capitalized, is the part of a communion service in which the sacrament is received. “confession”, from french in the 14th century, an act of confessing especially, is a disclosure of ones sins in the sacrament of reconciliation. “sacrament”, sacrement, sacrament, from french in the 13th century, means a: christian rite (as baptism or the eucharist) that is believed to have been ordained by christ and that is held to be a means of divine grace or to be a sign or symbol of a spiritual reality; b: a religious rite or observance comparable to a christian sacrament.2.1.1.3. on politicswhen french was introduced into english, nobles and royal families began to speak it, while english was regarded as the coarse language. so it had an important effect on british politics. the following words reflect it.“majesty”, from french majest in the 14th century, is royal bearing or aspect: grandeur. majesty is an english word rooting in the latin maiestas, meaning literally, greatness. over time the word became anglicised, the “i” becoming a “j” and the ending “-as”, being replaced with the english -y. “usurp”, a verb, from anglo-french usurper, indicates to take the place of by or as if by force : supplant. it must not let stock responses based on inherited prejudice usurp careful judgment. “status”, from french estatut in the 14th century, means a law enacted by the legislative branch of a government. 2.1.1.4. on medicine“surgeon”, from french, alteration of cirugien, from circugerie surgery in the 14th century, means a medical specialist who practices surgery. “massage”, from french word masser to massage in about 1860, is the practice of applying pressure or vibration to the soft tissues of the body, including muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, and joints. a form of therapy, massage can be applied to parts of the body or successively to the whole body, to heal injury, relieve psychological stress, manage pain, improve circulation and relieve tension. where massage is used for its physical and psychological benefits, it may be termed therapeutic massage therapy or manipulative therapy. “plague”, from french plaga, refers to an epidemic disease causing a high rate of mortality.2.1.1.5. on literature literature itself is the manifestation of life, so french also emerges in literature. “prologue”, from french prolog in the 14th century, is the preface or introduction to a literary work. “preface”, from french prephatia, is an introduction to a book, also any preliminary or introductory statement. in liturgical use the term is applied to that portion of the eucharistic service which immediately precedes the canon or central portion; the preface, which begins at the words vere dignum, it is very meet, right, etc., is ushered in, in all liturgies, with the sursum corda, lift up your hearts, and ends with the sanctus, holy, holy, holy, etc. in the western liturgies proper prefaces are appointed for particular occasions.2.1.1.6. on artart arose first among nobles, and french was also emerged among nobles. consequently, french also exists in art. the following words reflect it. “sculpture”, from french sculptura, is the action or art of processing (as by carving, modeling, or welding) plastic or hard materials into works of art. “design”, from french designare, usually considered in the context of the applied arts, and other such creative endeavors, is used as both a noun and a verb.design as a verb refers to the process of originating and developing a plan for a new object (machine, building, product, etc.). as a noun, design is used both for the final plan or proposal (a drawing, model, or other description), or the result of implementing that plan or proposal (the object produced).these words are major aspects of loan words on french. there are still many other aspects of it, but do not have that many. for example, on military affairs, on fashion, and so many other aspects, i will not enumerate them one by one. after the medieval time french is continuing to crowd into english. in fact, many french words have been assimilated2.1.2. from latin loan words latin is another important source of english loan words. during the norman conquest, latin holds the same dominant status as french.2.1.2.1. on lawalthough the number of latin loan words is less than french loan words, a great number of legal terminologies obviously traced from latin in the middle- and ancient- time and the later renaissance. the following words illustrate it.“custody”, from latin custodia, means immediate charge and control (as over a ward or a suspect) exercised by a person or an authority. “malefactor”, from latin malefactor in the 15th century, from malefacere to do evil, from male + facere to do, is someone who has done something bad or illegal. “testimony”, from late latin &latin in the 14th century; late latin testimonium decalogue, from latin, evidence, witness, from testis witness, in law and in religion, is a solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter. a “jurist”, from medieval latin jurista, from latin jur-, jus in the 15th century, is a professional who studies, develops, applies or otherwise deals with the law. the term is widely used in american english, but in the united kingdom and many countries which use commonwealth english it has only historical and specialist usage, and members of the general public are largely unaware of the term and are liable to confuse it with juror. there is no alternative word for jurist in commonwealth english. the term legal professional may be used for convenience, but this is not common practice. as french is, legal terminologies on latin loan words are also assimilated and they confuse harmoniously. it is hard to tell which language is its origin only according to their forms.2.1.2.2. on abbreviationsin english reading, we often meet some short forms (such as etc., e.g., i.e.), they are actually latin abbreviations. so is english writing. next i will exemplify some abbreviations more often seen.“a.m.”, also “a.m.” or “am”, from latin ante meridian, means before midday (noon) or time between midnight and noon. “p.m.”, also “p.m.” or “pm” which is opposite from “a.m.”, from latin post meridian, means after midday (noon) or time between noon and midnight. “a.d.” from latin anno domini, means (in the year) time before the birth of christ. so is “b.c.”. “e.g.”, from latin exempli gratia, means for example. “etc.”, from et cetra, means “and so forth” or “and so on”. “ibid.” from ibidem, means in the same place. it is usually used among end-notes, footnotes and bibliography, and the next line of book title and author as another explanation (or as a part of it), which indicates that book title and author are the same as the above explanation in order to avoid prolixity.if we can know these abbreviations well, we can do reading and writing more quickly and efficiently. it can also improve our english vocabulary and the sense of language.2.1.2.3. on medicinemany formal loan words on medicine are from latin. about 25% of english loan words on medicine are from latin, which are mainly derivation, that is, which includes a lot of suffixes. and a number of suffixes of many modern english words also derive from latin. for example:“abdomen” is from latin in 1543. and in anatomy, the abdomen is a part of the body, while in humans, it is the region between the thorax and the pelvis. “dorsal” is from late latin and latin; late latin dorsalis, from latin dorsum back in 1727. in anatomy, the dorsal is the side in which the backbone is located. this is usually the top of an animal, although in humans it refers to the back. in fishes, it refers to the top, front fin (see dorsal fin). it is the anatomical opposite of ventral (referring to the front or underside of an animal). “umbilicus” is from latin in1799, its plural form umbilici. the umbilicus (commonly called a navel, or belly or tummy button), is essentially a scar caused at birth by the removal of the umbilical cord from a newborn baby. the scar can appear as a depression (sometimes colloquially referred to as an innie) or as a protrusion (referred to as an outlier).2.1.2.4. on religionuntil 597, christian missionary entered into britain to preach. with the wide spread of christian in britain, a great number of latin words on religion came into english. the following words reflect it.“priest” from late latin presbyter before the 12th century, is one authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion especially as a mediatory agent between humans and god specifically: an anglican, eastern orthodox, or roman catholic clergyman ranking below a bishop and above a deacon. “pope” from late latin papa, often capitalized: a prelate who as bishop of rome is the head of the roman catholic church. “creed” from latin credo (first word of the apostles and nicene creeds) before 12th century, is a brief authoritative formula of religious belief. 2.1.3 loan words from greek2.1.3.1. on medicine greek is the most principal source of english loan words on medicine. about 75% of the english loan words on medicine are from greek. “dyspepsia” from greek in about 1706, from dys- + pepsis digestion, from peptein, pessein to cook, digests, is a constant pain in the stomach. constant pains include indigestion and heartburn. another discomfort is nausea. functional dyspepsia has no visible cause. her forms may be identified by x-ray or endoscopy. “eupepsia” from greek means good digestion. its prefix eu means good, well, or advantageous. eu means the opposite of dys, which means bad, ill, or difficult. therefore, the opposite of eupepsia is dyspepsia. dyspepsia is also known as indigestion.2.1.3.2. on mythologygreek mythology had a great effect on english, even on the world. so there are many greek loan words on mythology in the english vocabulary.“apple of discord” was a golden apple inscribed with the words, to the most beautiful (or to the fairest), thrown at a wedding banquet for peleus and thetis. with it the olympic goddess eris sought revenge for not being invited. she threw it amongst hera, athena, and aphrodite, all of whom thought they were the most beautiful. zeus selected paris of troy to act as the judge of who was the fairest. he chose aphrodite, who had offered him in return the most beautiful woman of the world for a wife. the woman was helen, and his claiming of her began the trojan war. “the sword of damocles” from greek mythology, means the immediate danger. damocles is a figure featured in a single moral anecdote which was a late addition to classical greek culture. the figure belongs properly to legend rather than greek mythology. the anecdote apparently figured in the lost history of sicily by timaeus of tauromenium (c. 356 - 260 bce). cicero may have read it in diodorus siculus. he made use of it in his tusculan disputations v.61 - 62. damocles it seems was an excessively flattering courtier in the court of dionysius ii of syracuse, a 4th century bc tyrant of syracuse, italy. he enthused t