Etymology ALYSSA

WHY ARE THE ARTS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS MORE CORE SUBJECTS LIKE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS?

In the UK, mainly in public schools, the arts are increasingly being pushed aside due to having a set number of hours for schoolwork, budgets being under pressure and school inspections saying to focus on ‘core’ subjects. As film producer Alan Parker quoted, ‘Arts in schools should not be side-lined, it should be right there right up in the front because the arts teach you to deal with the world around you. It is the oxygen that makes all the other subjects breathe.’ All the previously mentioned reasons for Drama and the arts importance, show that teaching Arts is just as important as teaching other more mainstream subjects like STEM.

ETYMOLOGY

REFERENCES

www.nhs.uk/conditions/multiple-sclerosis/ https://mstrust.org.uk/a-z/tysabri-natalizumab www.tate.org.uk/art/talking-point/why-study-art

By Alyssa

WORDS. We all use them and quite a lot. They develop over hundreds of years, with the collision of cultures, new products and experiences that cause semantic changes. Etymology is the origin of words and their change in meaning throughout history. Some are obvious and direct like autograph which comes from the Greek αυτος meaning self and γραφω meaning to write. However, some are completely unknown, like badge, and others may change their meaning completely.

Amelioration in linguistics is the elevation of a word from a negative meaning to a positive one. The most common example of this is the word pretty, which has a few different meanings in today's society. The word comes from the Old English prættig meaning 'cunning' (from præt meaning 'trick') then 'skilful or artful' (of a person). By 1400 it had changed again to mean 'attractive' and then 'fine or beautiful in a certain way'. This is what gives us our word pretty today that means aesthetically attractive. [1]

However, the word pretty has also undergone pejoration where it can mean demeaning or condescending. Pejoration in linguistics is the opposite of amelioration. It is where a word degenerates, gaining negative meanings. By the 16th century, pretty was used as a patronizing term ('uncomfortable or awkward') but then gained a more moderate tone of being sufficient but not quite 'beautiful', which gives us common phrases like 'pretty much' where it isn't completely right but is close enough. [2]

Some words have not undergone complete amelioration where they are seen as good, but they have changed their meaning. For example, the word sinister comes from the Latin 'sinister' meaning left. Throughout history, but especially in the Middle Ages, a large stigma has been held around left-handed people that can still be seen today. This included corporal punishment to physically force children to use their right hand by tying their left hand behind their chair; other stereotypes included the left hand being unclean. [3] Another example of this is the word bad which comes from 'bædling' meaning 'hermaphrodite' and 'bædan' meaning 'to defile'. [4]

For modern/future ideas of pejoration or changes in words, terms like 'snowflake' have developed, which is used to mock someone as being overly sensitive or fragile and other insults could be deemed pejorative. On the reverse side, the reclamation of slurs and the disuse of others may cause changes within communities and meanings of words.

REFERENCES

[1] http://www.word-detective.com/2010/09/pretty/ [2] https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2014/3/15/1284995/-Origins-of-English-Amelioration-and[3] https://historyofyesterday.com/left-handers-once-experienced-severe-stigmatization-and-discrimination-f172c2fde6ef [4] https://www.etymonline.com/word/bad