New Word-Analysis | Page 2

the study which treats of the derivation of
words,--that is, of their structure and history.
2. ENGLISH ETYMOLOGY, or word-analysis, treats of the derivation
of English words.

3. The VOCABULARY[3] of a language is the whole body of words in
that language. Hence the English vocabulary consists of all the words
in the English language.
I. The complete study of any language comprises two distinct
inquiries,--the study of the grammar of the language, and the study of
its vocabulary. Word-analysis has to do exclusively with the
vocabulary.
II. The term "etymology" as used in grammar must be carefully
distinguished from "etymology" in the sense of word-analysis.
Grammatical etymology treats solely of the grammatical changes in
words, and does not concern itself with their derivation; historical
etymology treats of the structure, composition, and history of words.
Thus the relation of loves, loving, loved to the verb love is a matter of
grammatical etymology; but the relation of lover, lovely, or loveliness
to love is a matter of historical etymology.
III. The English vocabulary is very extensive, as is shown by the fact
that in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary there are nearly 100,000
words. But it should be observed that 3,000 or 4,000 serve all the
ordinary purposes of oral and written communication. The Old
Testament contains 5,642 words; Milton uses about 8,000; and
Shakespeare, whose vocabulary is more extensive than that of any other
English writer, employs no more than 15,000 words.
4. The PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS of the English vocabulary are words
of Anglo-Saxon and of Latin or French-Latin origin.
5. ANGLO-SAXON is the earliest form of English. The whole of the
grammar of our language, and the most largely used part of its
vocabulary, are Anglo-Saxon.
I. Anglo-Saxon belongs to the Low German[4] division of the Teutonic
stock of languages. Its relations to the other languages of Europe--all of
which are classed together as the Aryan, or Indo-European family of
languages--may be seen from the following table:--

/ CELTIC STOCK..........................as Welsh, Gaelic. | SLAVONIC
STOCK........................as Russian. INDO- | / Greek / Italian.
EUROPEAN < CLASSIC STOCK \ Latin < Spanish. FAMILY. | \
French, etc. | / Scandinavian:.......as Swedish. | TEUTONIC STOCK< /
High Ger:.as Modern German. \ \ German < \ Low Ger....as
Anglo-Saxon.
II. The term "Anglo-Saxon" is derived from the names Angles and
Saxons, two North German tribes who, in the fifth century A.D.,
invaded Britain, conquered the native Britons, and possessed
themselves of the land, which they called England, that is, Angle-land.
The Britons spoke a Celtic language, best represented by modern
Welsh. Some British words were adopted into Anglo-Saxon, and still
continue in our language.
6. The LATIN element in the English vocabulary consists of a large
number of words of Latin origin, adopted directly into English at
various periods.
The principal periods, during which Latin words were brought directly
into English are:--
1. At the introduction of Christianity into England by the Latin Catholic
missionaries, A.D. 596.
2. At the revival of classical learning in the sixteenth century.
3. By modern writers.
7. The FRENCH-LATIN element in the English language consists of
French words, first largely introduced into English by the
Norman-French who conquered England in the eleventh century, A.D.
I. French, like Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, is substantially Latin,
but Latin considerably altered by loss of grammatical forms and by
other changes. This language the Norman-French invaders brought with
them into England, and they continued to use it for more than two
centuries after the Conquest. Yet, as they were not so numerous as the

native population, the old Anglo-Saxon finally prevailed, though with
an immense infusion of French words.
II. French-Latin words--that is, Latin words introduced through the
French--can often be readily distinguished by their being more changed
in form than the Latin terms directly introduced into our language.
Thus--
LATIN. FRENCH. ENGLISH.
inimi'cus ennemi enemy pop'ulus peuple people se'nior sire sir
8. OTHER ELEMENTS.--In addition to its primary
constituents--namely, the Anglo-Saxon, Latin, and French-Latin--the
English vocabulary contains a large number of Greek derivatives and a
considerable number of Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese words, besides
various terms derived from miscellaneous sources.
The following are examples of words taken from miscellaneous sources;
that is, from sources other than Anglo-Saxon, Latin, French-Latin, and
Greek:--
Hebrew: amen, cherub, jubilee, leviathan, manna, sabbath, seraph.
Arabic: admiral, alcohol, algebra, assassin, camphor, caravan,
chemistry, cipher, coffee, elixir, gazelle, lemon, magazine, nabob,
sultan.
Turkish: bey, chibouk, chouse, janissary, kiosk, tulip.
Persian: azure, bazaar, checkmate, chess, cimeter, demijohn, dervise,
orange, paradise, pasha, turban.
Hindustani: calico, jungle, pariah, punch, rupee, shampoo, toddy.
Malay: a-muck, bamboo, bantam, gamboge, gong, gutta-percha,
mango.
Chinese: nankeen, tea.

Polynesian: kangaroo, taboo, tattoo.
American Indian: maize, moccasin, pemmican, potato, tobacco,
tomahawk, tomato, wigwam.
Celtic: bard, bran, brat, cradle, clan, druid, pony, whiskey.
Scandinavian: by-law, clown, dregs, fellow, glade, hustings, kidnap,
plough.
Dutch,