Лексикология английского языка

Vocabulary

account объяснить

arrogant высокомерный

borrowing заимствование

christianization обращение в христианство

confront столкнуться; сопротивляться

conquest завоевание

destine предназначать

esthete эстет

etymology этимология: происхождение и история слов и морфем

eventful насыщенный событиями

immense громадный

refinement утончённость, воспитанность

renaissance ренессанс, эпоха Возрождения

Lecture 5

The Etymology of English Words

(pp.62-71, part 2)

1. 
   The historical circumstances which stimulate the borrowing process.
   
2. 
   Three stages of assimilation.
   
3. 
   International words.
   
4. 
   Etymological doublets.
   
5. 
   Translation-loans.
   
6. 
   Interrelations between etymological and stylistic characteristics.
   

1. The historical circumstances which stimulate the borrowing process
Why are words borrowed? This question partially concerns the historical circumstances which stimulate the borrowing process. Each time two nations come into close contact, certain borrowings are a natural consequence. The nature of contact may be different. It may be wars, invasions or conquests when foreign words are in effect imposed upon the reluctant conquered nation. There are also periods of peace when the process of borrowing is due to trade and international cultural relations.

These latter circumstances are certainly more favourable for stimulating the borrowing process, for during invasions and occupations the natural psycological reaction of the oppressed nation is to reject and condemn the language of the oppressor. The Norman culture of the 11th c. was certainly superior to that of the Saxons. The result was that an immense number of French words forced their way into English vocabulary.

All this only serves to explain the conditions which encourage the borrowing process. The question of why words are borrowed by one language from another is still unanswered.

Sometimes it is done to fill a gap in vocabulary. When the Saxons borrowed Latin words for “butter”,”plum”, “beet”, they did it because their own vocabulary lacked words for these new objects. For the same reason the words potato and tomato were borrowed by English from Spanish when these vegetables were first brought to England by the Spaniards.

But there is also a great number of words which are borrowed for other reasons. There may be a word (or even several words) which expresses some particular concept, so that there is no gap in the vocabulary and there does not seem to be any need for borrowing. Yet, one more word is borrowed which means almost the same, - almost, but not exactly. It is borrowed because it represents the same concept in some new aspect, supplies a new shade of meaning or a different emotional colouring. This type of borrowing enlarges groups of synonyms and greatly provides to enrich the expressive resources of the vocabulary. That is how the Latin cordial was added to the native friendly, the French desire to wish and the French adore to like and love.