The Stories of Words
or Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
Every Word Has a Story
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The path that it took - origin, changes
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But there’s more to etymology: relationships
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Many think of etymology as optional, extra - not a central concept
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Truth: necessary for spelling to make sense
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Has an influence on the spelling of every word
We can’t understand our writing system without it
See etymonline.com for information on all words discussed.
<secretary ➞ secret + ary>
<pandemonium ➞ pan + demon + ium>
But what about?
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Younger students
Single syllable base elements
“Irregular” words
Simple, everyday function words
Why bother?
You might hear:
“This is too advanced for beginning students;
students need to master sound to symbol relationships first”
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Copyright © Sue Hegland 2017
2
April 22, 2017
IDA-UMB
The Stories of Words
or
Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
Let’s look at:
<vile, vial>
If we have to remember these as random spellings, takes lots of intense work to form an
orthographic image
HOWEVER...morphology and etymology constrain options
<vile/ + i + fy ➞ vilify>
<re + vile ➞ revile>
To be in the same morphological family, words must pass:
1. Structure test: can be built from same base
2. Historical root (meaning) test: can be traced back to same root
Root vs. Base
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Root (or etymon) is historical form
Base element is morphological form
Base is a structural element no matter the origin: Greek, Latin, French, Old English…
This distinction provides clarity
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April 22, 2017
IDA-UMB
The Stories of Words
or
Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
Orthographic Denotation
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The sense and meaning of the root of the word
Present as an “echo” in every word that derives from a root
Carried in the spelling (orthographic)
Revealed by the etymology!
Lexical matrix: shows family of related words, built on same base, with shared historical root
and orthographic denotationfrom facĕre (Latin) “make, do”
vile/ + i + fy
mort + i + fy
class + i + fy
magn + i + fy
grate/ + i + fy
false/ + i + fy
speci + fy
vile/ + i + fic + ate/ + ion
mort + i + fic + ate/ + ion
class + i + fic + ate/ + ion
magn + i + fic + ate/ + ion
grate/ + i + fic + ate/ + ion
false/ + i + fic + ate/ + ion
speci + fic + ate/ + ion
Two Aspects to Etymology
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Diachronic ➞ dia + chrone/ + ic
“through time”
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Synchronic ➞ syn + chrone/ + ic
“together in time”
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4
April 22, 2017
IDA-UMB
The Stories of Words
or
Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
Etymology
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NOT just historical “facts”
Reveals relationships between words
• diachronically - through time: roots to derivations
• synchronically - together in time: related words in present day English (PDE)
Enables understanding of new words
Provides insight into the system
Words ONLY make sense in families
Other “simple” words
Synchronic etymology is key to understanding
<break + fast ➞ breakfast>
How Should We Study Phonology?
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Words make sense in families
- morphological & etymological
Place phonology in context and it makes sense
This IS how our writing system works
Should we wait to introduce morphology and etymology until phonology is mastered?
Why would we ask students to memorize by rote something they could understand?
breed
bred
feed
fed
sleep
slept
bread
See entry at etymonline.com
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Copyright © Sue Hegland 2017
5
April 22, 2017
IDA-UMB
The Stories of Words
or
Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
These aren’t “tricks” to help remember. These are real connections between words.
by
bye
buy
Function and Content words:
Lexical (content) words: nouns, verbs, adjective, adverbs
• “dictionary” words
• carry meaning in text
• stressed in connected speech
• “open class” - new words added all the time
Function words: articles, conjunctions, pronouns, prepositions, auxiliary verbs
• “grammar” words
• often unstressed in connected speech
• “closed class” - English has roughly 300
Conventions for spelling:
Function words can be written with as few letters as phonology allows, often 2 letters:
<as>, <in>, <on>, <go>, <by>, <I>, <a>
Content words must be at least 3 letters:
<egg>, <odd>, <ebb>, <awe>, <err>, <dye>, <eye>
When function and content words are homophones, content word will be longer when possible
Function words!
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to
in
by
be
do
but
Content words
too
inn
bye
bee
due
butt
buy
dew
by: function word (preposition)
bye: content word
Noun: We drew a bye for the tournament.
Exclamation: Bye!:
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6
April 22, 2017
IDA-UMB
The Stories of Words
or
Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
buy
bought
See entry in Etymonline.com for good-bye.
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Etymology of Homophones
Spelling: WHY!
Meaning: deeper
Grapheme - phoneme relationships: understanding not memory
Vocabulary: tools for understanding unfamilar words
Most important: understanding the system!!
<voice>
Student misspelled “voice” as “voise”
Related to: vocāre “voice, call”
Related base: <voce>
<vocal, vociferous, equivocation>
<voice>
Graphemes have etymologies:
<wr>
often related to twisting and turning
wrap
wrestle
wreck
wring
wreath
wrath
<kn>
often has to do with things that are stick-like or stick out
knife, knave, knight, knob, knot, knit, knee, knoll
know?
<know> See Etymonline entry
<a + gnostic ➞ agnostic>
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Phonology of /k/ and /g/
Copyright © Sue Hegland 2017
7
April 22, 2017
IDA-UMB
The Stories of Words
or
Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
Graphemes & Families
Sometimes a grapheme IS pronounced in some relative in morphological family
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gnostic, agnostic
bomb, bombard
hymn, hymnal
sign, signal
family, familiar
every, ever
<answer>
answer
Old English andswaru "an answer, a reply,"
from and- "against" (see ante) + -swaru "affirmation,"from swerian "to swear" (see swear),
suggesting an original sense of "make a sworn statement rebutting a charge."
from etymonline.com
Etymological marker
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Show relationships - never pronounced in any relative in morphological family
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<answer>
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<people>: <o> shows connection to root populus in Latin and words in PDE: <popular,
population>
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<two>: twin, twice, between, twilight - see Gina Cooke TedEd talk (in references)
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NOT a grapheme
Spelling Always Makes Sense
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“Silent” letters have a story to tell
Could be etymological marker - never pronounced in morphological family
Could be grapheme - pronounced in a morphological relative
Could have some other function...
NOT all letters are graphemes
Watch out for graphemes, pronunciations, or spellings explained away as “irregular””
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Copyright © Sue Hegland 2017
8
April 22, 2017
IDA-UMB
The Stories of Words
or
Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
Spelling always makes sense…
...but only in the context of morphology and etymology
Words ONLY Make Sense in Families
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Morphological family: words that share a base
Etymological family: broader family - share a root
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Words in a matrix by definition share a base AND are related etymologically
Orthographic denotation - all words in a matrix
Word sum is critical measuring stick
Key to deep vocabulary, comprehension AND spelling
Every Word Has a Story
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The path that it took, and relationships
Etymology is a central concept
Necessary for spelling to make sense
Has an influence on the spelling of every word
We can’t understand our writing system without it
Source: real spelling
realspelling.fr
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Copyright © Sue Hegland 2017
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April 22, 2017
IDA-UMB
The Stories of Words
or
Why Studying Etymology is Not Optional!
Further Resources:
Etymonline: etymonline.com
Mini Matrix-Maker: http://www.neilramsden.co.uk/spelling/matrix/
Webinars:
All located at IDA-UMB website - https://umw.dyslexiaida.org/webinars/
Developing Literacy in the Content Areas through Structured Word Study — March 2017 - Sue
Hegland
Making Sense of “Irregular” Words – May 2016 - Sue Hegland
Insights into “Sight Words” – February 2016 - Gina Cooke, Linguist~Educator Exchange
Structured Word Inquiry – February 2015 - Pete Bowers
Websites:
https://LearningAboutSpelling.com - Sue Hegland - Stories & information about how
English spelling works
www.realspelling.fr - Go to the Real Spelling Gallery and watch films as a start. All
resources and Spellinars are exceptional.
https://linguisteducatorexchange.com - Gina Cooke - Read blog posts; LEXinars and
products highly recommended.
http://www.wordworkskingston.com - Pete Bowers does wonderful public
workshops on using Structured Word Inquiry to investigate the writing system.
http://www.realspellers.org - Forums about word investigations; WordWorks
newsletters under Resources
Blogs by teachers who are using this understanding in their classrooms:
Mary Beth Stevens - Grade 5 - http://mbsteven.edublogs.org
Skot Caldwell - Grade 5 - https://whointheworld.edublogs.org
Ann Whiting - Grade 7- https://wordinquiry.wordpress.com
Lyn Anderson - Preschool to Grade 1 - http://wordsinbogor.blogspot.com
Lisa Barnett - Resource Room - K-5 - http://barnettsbuzzingblog.edublogs.org
Skot Caldwell (archived) - Grade 1 - https://smallhumansthinkbig.wordpress.com/author/
skotcaldwell/
Books:
Henry, Marcia K., Unlocking Literacy: Effective Decoding and Spelling Instruction
TED-Ed videos by Gina Cooke:
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/making-sense-of-spelling-gina-cooke
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/beyond-the-shadow-of-a-doubt-gina-cooke
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-true-story-of-true-gina-cooke
LearningAboutSpelling.com!
Copyright © Sue Hegland 2017