Name comes from the Old English nama. In Middle English, it became name, with the plural namen. The en was considered a weak form of a plural and is now rarely used in Modern English (exceptions: children oxen). The exact time of the change from nama to name is unclear, but it may have been influenced by the Great Vowel Shift. In Modern English, the e at the end of many words became silent, and name would fit this category. When teaching this word to students, it is helpful that it follows the "silent e rule". The e makes the vowel say it's name (make the long vowel sound). Students usually think of the silent e as a bully that forces the vowel to say it's name , and therefore, this is a rule they remember well.
school- (n) an organization that provides instruction
School comes from the Old English scol. In Middle English, many words began to be spelled with a k or ch for sounds that were spelled with c in Old English. Because of this, scol became schole. As explained by Freeman (2004, p.104), during the Renaissance, many words had an h added with the c to show an understanding of Latin and Greek spelling. Over time in Modern English, the e was dropped and the o was doubled. School can be tricky for students to spell because of the sch combination. Older students may benefit from a conversation about the evolution of the word to help them remember the h in the spelling.
July- (n) the seventh month of the Gregorian calendar
In Old English, July was the word Julius. However, it was not considered the seventh month. July was considered the fifth month, and named Quintillis. When the calendar was reformed, the seventh month was named after Julius Caesar. In Middle English, it was Julie (the feminine form of Julius). In Modern English, the ie was changed to y. To help students spell July correctly, explicitly discuss the sound of the y at the end of the word.
work- (n) activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something
Work comes from the Old English weorc. In many words in Middle English, the c was changed to k, as previously mentioned. The Great Vowel Shift that gradually took place in early Modern English is most likely responsible for the drop of the e in the spelling. The consonants in this word are simple for children to sound out because there is one letter for each sound. The vowel sound however, is not the typical short o sound. Therefore, the vowel may be difficult for children to hear correctly.
day- (n) the time of light between one night and the next
Day comes from Old English dæg. In Middle English, the word was converted to d-a-y. Originally it meant "the daylight hours;" but has now expanded to mean "the 24-hour period". For students learning to spell day, they must know that in Modern English, the ay combination makes the long a sound.
References:
www.merriam-webster.com
www.etymonline.com
www.wordorigins.org
Carrie-
ReplyDeleteI was really interested in reading about the words that you studied. I found some similar changes from Old English to Middle English to Modern English in the words that I studied. I found the changes in vowel structure to be the most interesting and also wrote about the Great Vowel Shift during Middle English times.
Since I work with very young students, I had a hard time envisioning how I could use the origin of words to enhance their learning. I could see using the origin of words with older students and would be interested to know how that would help their understanding.