AMAZING WORDS AND WHERE THEY COME FROM
ROYALTY Pronunciation: ROY-ul-tee Origin: French English meaning: family of a king or queen Original meaning: rule by a king or queen In 1066 CE, England was invaded by knights from northern France. These were the Normans. Lots of things changed, especially the English language. Soon, French words were everywhere. Normans preferred French words such as ‘pork’, ‘royal’ and ‘autumn’ to the English ‘pig’, ‘queen’ and ‘fall’, and many of their words are still used today.
GURU Pronunciation: GOO-roo Origin: Sanskrit (an ancient Indian language) English meaning: spiritual teacher or expert Original meaning: heavy When people in ancient India had a big question, they could go to a guru for answers. Gurus were respected leaders and keepers of serious knowledge. Sanskrit speakers used the word for heavy as the name for these teachers, showing their importance in society.
JAGUAR Pronunciation: JAG-you-uh Origin: Tupi (an indigenous Brazilian language) English meaning: South American big cat Original meaning: large, fierce predator Eyes glinting in the dense jungle leaves, a jaguar is on the hunt. The agile big cat we now call a jaguar is a specific rainforest predator. But to the Tupi people of Brazil, ‘jaguar’ was once the general word for any big predator to watch out for.
AMAZING WORDS AND WHERE THEY COME FROM Author: Patrick Skipworth Illustrator: Nicholas Stevenson Ages: 6+ years Price: £11.99 Format: Hardback Extent: 32 pages Trim size: 265 x 275 mm Pub date: 7th May 2020 ISBN: 978-1-9129201-7-4 Description Did you know that English words come from all over the world and that their meanings have changed along their journey? Our word ‘zero’ comes from the Arabic word for empty space. ‘Companion’ is from the Latin for ‘with bread’. With simple descriptions and dazzling, evocative and witty illustrations, this is a fascinating introduction to the rich history and cultural diversity of our language.
ZERO Pronunciation: ZIR-roh Origin: Arabic English meaning: nothing; als o, the symbol that represents nothing in mathematics Original meaning: emptiness Without the word ‘zero’, it would be very difficult to do important sums or study science. But this useful word first came into the English language from Arabic in the 16th century. Arab scholars themselves had borrowed the idea of zero (but not the word for it) from India. There, mathematicians would write ‘empty’ when they did a sum that equalled zero. Later on they started using the circle shape that we know today. today.
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Words included: orchestra (Japanese); zero (Arabic); guru (Sanskrit); ukulele (Hawaiian); jaguar (Tupi); royalty (Norman French); companion (Latin); kookaburra (Australian Aboriginal); worm (Old English); mummy (Persian); caribou (Algonquin); safari (Swahili).
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Author information Patrick Skipworth studied Classics and Linguistics in London and the Netherlands, connecting the dots between ancient cultures, their histories and their languages. Today, Patrick is a children’s book editor, but he likes to write his own books when he can. Some of his favourite topics are prehistoric bugs, super-intelligent robots and legends from far away places. His favourite word is ‘mosaic.’ Patrick lives in London.
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Reveals the diverse origins of English words and their layered meanings Connects the English language to indigenous languages and cultures across the globe, from Hawaii to Australia, highlighting the interconnected nature of all people Ingenious, painterly artwork adds a delightful twist to the story behind each word
Illustrator information Nicholas Stevenson’s personality and past are as colourful as his illustrations. Now living in London, he spent years in the Seychelles ‘dressing like Peter Pan most days’. Nicholas produces lively, engaging, mysterious and deeply painterly work for the publishing and music industries. BOUNCE SALES & MARKETING – 320 City Road, London EC1V 2NZ Tel: 020 7138 3650 | Fax: 020 7138 3658 | sales@bouncemarketing.co.uk ISBN 978-1-912920-17-4
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