Words
have been borrowed from all over the world during
colonial times and we still go on borrowing.
Sometimes
we borrow a word and then pass a version of it
on. 'Shampooing' came from a Hindi word, was brought
to the UK and then the English version of it crossed
the channel so that 'shampooing' now means 'shampoo'
in French. Many words have quite complicated stories
like this one.
So
just where did you get that word?
You don't
know where it's been. Or do you?
Can
you match these words to the languages they came
from? Use an Etymological Dictionary to check any
you don't know. This dictionary tells you about
the origins of words and when they were first used.
Where
do these 'Goodbye' or 'See you later' words come
from? The Etymological Dictionary will help.
Ciao
Hasta la vista
Au revoir
Adios
Abyssinia
Valediction
How
many greetings or 'hello' words can you think
of?
Use a Thesaurus to help you find plenty. This
book groups words together which have the same
meanings (synonyms) or similar meanings. If you
look up 'greetings' or 'hello' you will find other
ways of saying the same thing. The word 'Thesaurus'
comes from a Greek word meaning 'treasure', which
is what it is - a treasure store of words.
