2001-2003 高中英語教師進修網站



The following text introduces ten common English words and their relevant origin and usage. Some of the stories may be already familiar to you; others may give you a few interesting ideas about the words we use in daily life. If you are interested in further and casual reading for English linguistics, Bill Bryson’s The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way is recommended.

Cindy Lee



Edited by Cindy Lee

Goodbye:
When taking their leave English people used to say God be with you, which over the years became goodbye.

Number:
‘Number’ first appears as and English word in 1297. It derives from the Latin numerus, and is related to the Greek nemein, ‘to pasture.’ The underlying meaning is assigning a portion and distributing.

Unlucky Numbers:
Unlucky numbers vary from country to country. Some hotels in the UK and the USA have no 13th floor (associated with Black 13th Friday); in Japan and Chinese-speaking countries, they may have no 4th floor (associated with death).

Brands:
Some famous brand names that have entered the English language are: aspirin, escalator, frisbee, pullman, xerox.

Walkman:
Since the Sony Walkman was introduced, no one has been sure whether two of them should be Walkmen or Walkmans. The Sony Corporation insists on Walkman Personal Stereos.

Diet:
Coca-Cola tries to use global branding whenever possible, but discovered that the term ‘diet’ in Diet Coke had a connotation of illness in Germany and Italy; consequently, the brand has become Coca-Cola Light outside the USA and UK.

Sandwich:
A British nobleman named John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792), loved to play cards and didn’t like to stop his game for meals. When he was hungry, he asked his servant to bring him a piece of meat between two slices of bread; this way he didn’t have to use a fork and knife, and his hands stayed clean. He gave the sandwich its name.

Bus and Coach:
The British make a careful distinction between large passenger vehicles used primarily for local journeys and large passenger vehicles used for longer or more specialized trips, such as days out to the seaside. The former are called buses and the latter coaches, even though the vehicles used may be identical.

Garage:
In the USA, garage means a building to keep one or more cars, vans, etc, while in Britain, it indicates a place where vehicles are repaired and sold and where petrol and oil may also be bought.

Public School:
In the USA and Taiwan, the public school means the educational institution run by the government. In Britain, it means private school, normally prestigious one. What Americans would call the public school is known in Britain as the state school.

Sources:
Anger, L. and Davy, K. (eds.) (1994) Spectrum 2. USA: Prentice Hall Regents.
Bryson, B. (1997) Notes from a Small Island. UK: Pernnial.
Wallwork, A. (2000) Business Options. UK: Oxford University Press.

  Copyright © 2003 Cultural Studies in English Language Teaching.