The Benefits of Etymology in the Vocabulary
Development of Greek ESL Students
Konstantinos Chatzisavvas
Chatzisavvas K, (2005), The Benefits of
Etymology in the Vocabulary Development of
Greek ESL Students, study (Instruction and
Curriculum / ESL, KEAN UNIVERSITY, NJ, USA)
Contents
Abstract. . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Literature Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
.
6
Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19
Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20
Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
Analysis of the Data. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
29
Roots and Prefixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
31
Pre-test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
37
Explanation of the Pre-test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Post-test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Explanation of the Post-test . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51
The Greek Alphabet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
54
Graphs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . 57
Chatzisavvas
1
Abstract:
A study examined if etymology is useful for vocabulary
development in English as a Second Language classrooms. There
was an investigation as to whether Greek, the students’ native
language, has an impact on learning new lexicon in English.
The subjects obtained a pre- and post-test to assess the
knowledge of the English vocabulary. Results proved that
etymology has a positive impact when learning new words. When
students compare words from their native language to words
from the target language, they can learn more words more
easily.
Chatzisavvas
2
Introduction:
Etymology, “the scientific study of the origins and
history of the changing meanings and forms of words” (Pierson,
1989), makes a difference in learning a new language. Using
etymology, students can learn new words faster and more easily
because they compare and contrast each foreign word with
similar words in their native language. The purpose of this
study is to examine the impact of etymology in acquiring the
English language within a particular context. Important to the
study is the link between English words learned by students
and their native language.
To test if etymology makes a difference in learning,
there will be two groups learning new words in English, which
is students’ second language. Students’ native language, Greek,
should be taken into account since we need the first language
to compare words in the target and native tongues.
Students in Group A will learn new words without the help of
etymology. Group B will learn new words with the help of
etymology.
Doing so, students in Group B will search for
Chatzisavvas
similarities
language.
between
As
vocabulary
a
their
result,
within
native
students
meaningful
illustrate this point.
language
in
Group
contexts.
3
and
the
second
B
will
study
An
example
will
The word polygon (πολυγώνιο) has the word
“poly” as a prefix, meaning too much, and the root “gonio”,
meaning
angle
(Τζιροπούλου
-
polygon means too many angles.
Ευσταθίου,
1995).
Therefore,
This is an easy word for Greek
speakers because they know what the prefix and the root of the
word
mean.
Following
this
example,
etymology
makes
a
difference in learning another language (Pitman, 2003).
This study of the impact of etymology will take place in
Greek ESL classrooms. Students participating in the study will
learn the English language through the help of their native
language by using etymology and thus trace several thousands
of words in the Greek and English language. Etymology will
also
help
the
students
find
the
similarities
between
the
target and native language. These will show connections among
some words in the two languages and make them more meaningful
as a result. This circumstance offers evidence of cognitive
learning; that is, the new English words are taught through
the help of prior knowledge, something that exists in long
term memory or even in ESL students’ native language.
Chatzisavvas
4
Literature Review
etymology
Using etymology to teach ESL can help students learn more
English
words.
It
can
also
help
scientists,
doctors
and
lawyers acquire any language in depth. At the same time, it
might be misleading, difficult, or confusing. If students’
native language and the target language share similarities,
students
will
find
learning
a
second
language
much
easier
(Maylath, 1997). On the contrary, there is a great chance that
students will understand the similarities between languages,
and they will be able to get the meaning of the words, if
teachers use etymology patterns in classroom (Holmes, Thomas,
Keffer and Ronald, 1995). Teachers need to instruct students
about the prefixes, roots, and suffixes in English. Almost
fifty per cent of the English words are complex, and they can
be more understandable through the study of the root of each
word (Pitman, 2003).
Some other linguists argue that teaching etymology in
classroom
can
help
students
whose
native
language
is
not
Chatzisavvas
5
related to English at all, such as Chinese, Arabic, and others
(Bellomo, 1999). Teachers need to teach prefixes, roots and
suffixes in class, even if these are not related to students’
native tongue. Of course, students who have Latin and Greek
backgrounds will be more at an advantage. The point is that
etymology
helps
non-native
English
speakers
expand
their
English vocabulary (Γιουγκιούκλης, 1990). It is more helpful
to students that have a European language as their native
tongue.
If teachers analyze and compare each word to students’
native language, they will not have a problem memorizing the
new words in L2. For example, when students learn the word
“gum” teachers should mention the word “γόμα” (goma) in Greek.
This way helps students learn a new word in English with the
help of their native language. This way of teaching a foreign
language solves one of the biggest problems for anyone who
learns a foreign language because they can learn a huge number
of words just by using etymology (Γιουγκιούκλης, 1990). In
this case, Greek students do not know that they already knew
the word “impermeable.”
If students use their native language in learning a
foreign language, they will be able to guess a lot of words
correctly. The reason is that European languages and English
share a huge amount of common vocabulary. In some cases,
Chatzisavvas
6
students need help finding the similarities between their
native and target language. Moreover, students learn more
words easily if teachers explain why a word is written the way
it is (Ilson, 1983). For instance, some Greek consonants are
transmitted with double consonants in the Latin alphabet, such
as ‘χ’ becomes ‘ch’ (χαρισματικό = charismatic), or ‘f’
becomes ‘ph’ (φιλοσοφία = philosophy).
Instructed in this
manner, students grasp a more in-depth meaning to each word
and are therefore, able to commit it to memory.
Furthermore, students will remember the words that are
taught with the help of etymology since these words exist in
their native language. This way, learning becomes meaningful:
“a quality of learning which is related to prior learning, and
thus is more likely to be retained and generalized to other
learning”
(Pierson,
1989).
When
using
etymology
in
class,
students learn something that they already know. They build
new
knowledge
from
what
they
learned
in
the
past.
This
practice makes it less likely that students forget the new
words in L2. The words they study are familiar and usable, and
they learn how to use these words in different ways. In other
words, students are more likely to engage in this learning
involving etymology since they can totally relate to their
native language. Some linguists regard etymology as extremely
helpful in learning new words:
Chatzisavvas
7
It is perhaps the most neglected
tool in our bag of devices,
particularly in light of its great
potential. Before we inquire how we
can best employ etymology as a device
for teaching language use, we should
ask ourselves what a word is. (Laird)
It will be easier for ESL students (students whose English is
their second language) to learn English if teachers show the
similarities between students’ native language and the target
language (if they share similarities) because they will not be
going through the process of memorization (Pierson, 1989).
This is because etymology helps students remember more English
words. It also makes learning fun, and it is helpful when
learning the meaning of unknown words:
Most people who have never been
taught better methods try to learn
words one by one, whereas usually
they could learn a dozen of words
more easily and in ways that will
help them to understand better
and to remember longer if they
learn words in related families.(Laird)
It seems really tedious and complicated to learn new words by
memorizing them. The result is that most people learn these
words, but because they do not use them, they forget them. In
contrast,
teaching
with
etymology
aims
to
have
students
comprehend each word rather than just memorize each word one
by one. Consequently, etymology can have a positive impact in
learning
new
words.
It
is
a
teaching
method
that
makes
Chatzisavvas
8
learning more simple, meaningful and pleasant. Also, the new
lexicon makes sense to learners.
The new lexicon makes sense to learners because the study
of
language
focuses
on
the
similarity
between
the
target
language and the native language, which is stored in long term
memory,
“the
memory
system
used
for
relatively
permanent
storage of meaningful information” (Coon, 2001). Almost all of
the words in our native language are stored in there. The
problem
when
etymology
short
is
term
teaching
that
memory
a
foreign
usually
where
vocabulary
students
it
cannot
without
process
these
hold
huge
a
using
words
in
amount
of
information (Solagne and Sao, 2001). Sometimes they do not use
these
words,
similarity
and
they
between
forget
students’
them.
native
If
and
teachers
target
show
the
language,
students will memorize the English lexicon in long term memory
(Thelen, 1986). If we want students to memorize English words
and remember them, there must be an etymological connection
between the target and native language (Moras, 2001).
Etymology might benefit some students more than others
because of their native language. For example, students whose
language
comes
from
Latin,
Greek
or
German
might
be
more
advantaged because English is a combination of these languages.
Chinese students can learn English through etymology, but they
need to put more effort since they do not know the roots of
Chatzisavvas
the
words.
Students’
first
language
makes
a
9
difference
in
learning another language. A French student can learn Italian
faster
rather
than
Japanese.
This
is
because
French
and
Italian come from Latin.
In brief, most linguists support the fact that etymology
helps ESL students learn more English words (Thelen, 1986).
Some
others
argue
that
students’
native
language
is
not
important in using etymology in classrooms. On the other hand,
other professors using etymology in classroom state that it
might be misleading (Small, 1987). The point is that there are
several thousands of similar words in the European languages.
Some
linguists
believe
in
the
Indo-European
theory;
some
others believe that the Greco-Roman civilization influenced
the European languages in a high degree. Whatever the answer
is, we can help students and teach them new words by showing
similarities between languages.
Students’ Native Language and Its Aid in Teaching ESL
Student’s
native
language
plays
a
main
position
in
learning a new language. In this case, the Greek language
helps learners enhance their lexicon in English. Also, the
study of etymology supports the learning of scientific terms
such
as
melanoma
(μελάνομα),
astigmatism
(αστιγματισμός),
Chatzisavvas
10
chiropractor (χειροπράκτορας) and so many others. Every year,
thousands of doctors, pharmacists and other educated people
study Classical Greek or Latin because these two languages
help
them
learn
the
scientific
lexicon
with
the
help
of
etymology. Further, several thousands of abstract words have
been
taken
from
(αρωμα), problem
the
Greek
(πρόβλημα), stigma
language,
(στίγμα),
idea (ιδέα) (Maurice and Gilbert, 2003).
such
drama
as
aroma
(δράμα), and
If Greek students know
how to transmit each word from the Greek to Latin alphabet,
there will not be a problem to identify and understand these
kinds of words.
However, there are thousands of words that have changed
completely; in a point that nobody can recognize them as Greek
words such as the word “eleemosyne” (ελεημοσύνη) became “alms”
in English (Τζιροπούλου, 1995). In this case, it will be more
difficult to teach students the similarities between Greek and
English words. Another example would be the word “female”:
“The word goes back to Greek ‘thelazein’ (θηλάζειν), to suckle,
and then with some changes Latin ‘felare’, to suck, and Latin
‘femina’, woman. Associations with male may have influenced
The English form of the word” (Gorrell, 2001, 57). Therefore,
some words that come from the same root change, and they can
be confusing when learning English.
Sometimes, in order to
remember the origin of the word female, it is difficult to
Chatzisavvas
11
explain to the students, whose native language is Greek, that
the word female originates from the Greek word “thelazein”.
This is because these two words have a completely different
meaning in Modern Greek and English. In this case, students
will discover that the answers are not obvious or consistent
(Small, 1987). Another example would be the word “couthouros”
(κούθουρος) meaning coward in English (Τζιροπούλου, 1995). It
might be difficult for students to find the similarity between
these two words in their native language and L2 since letters,
pronunciation, and the meaning changes from one language to
another over a period of time.
Another problem that exists in the field of etymology is
that the meaning and articulation of some words change in
languages through years. For instance, the Greek word “idiot,”
coming from the word “ιδιώτης” means someone who thinks only
for their needs or self. Besides that, this word ended up
meaning something silly.
Another example would be in the difference between the
Modern
and
Ancient
Greek
pronunciation.
For
instance,
the
letter z is pronounced as “zd” (like wisdom) or as tz (like
pizza)
in
Ancient
Greek
(Morwood
and
Warman,
1995).
In
contrast, “z” is pronounced as “zebra” in Modern Greek (refer
to pages 54-56). There are several words that have been taken
from
Ancient
Greek
and
changed
into
Latin
and
French
and
Chatzisavvas
12
translated into the English language (Maylath, 1997). At the
same time, there are differences between Ancient and Modern
Greek. In this case, there might be a huge difference between
the Greek words that exist in the English language and the
words that native Greek students use, even if in both cases,
they are derived from Ancient Greek.
Also, pronunciation,
words and sounds have been changing in the English language:
They are relatively stable; They
change, of course, and presumably
all sounds are changing all the
time, but they change so slowly
that few sounds have been lost
from the English
language in
historic times…. (Laird)
Since pronunciation and sounds change, there might be
other problems that can make this study more difficult when
learning new words with the help of etymology. In this case,
students might not be able to connect the similarities between
their native and the target language.
Also, another case would be that some English words came
from Classical Greek, but Modern Greek speakers do not use
them
any
more.
However,
they
still
exist
in
the
English
language. For example, the verb “flaeo” (φλαίω) means that
something rises up (Τζιροπούλου, 1995). It is a verb that is
not used in Modern Greek any more, but it exists in English as
“inflation” and “deflation”. Greek ESL students might have a
hard time recognizing these words because they are not used
Chatzisavvas
anymore
in
the
Modern
Greek
language.
If
students
13
know
Classical Greek, it will be easier for them to use etymology
and
memorize
more
Greco
words
that
exist
in
English
(Γιουγκιούκλης, 1990). The point is that it is better for
learners to know their native language in depth before they
start using etymology. If students acquire the knowledge of
their
native
language,
they
will
improve
their
second
and
third language.
If the participants in this study need to learn their
language in depth, they need to learn Ancient Greek. This is
because
prefixes
it
aims
and
impermeable
to
have
students
suffixes.
has
the
For
“im”
as
learn
example,
prefix
some
the
that
main
roots,
English
means
not,
word
or
something that is the opposite. In Greek, it would be “in”.
The root “perme” can be related to the Greek word “perasma”
(πέρασμα) meaning
pass, and the suffix “able” proves that the
word is an adjective. If Greek students first see the word
“impermeable,” they will not understand it. On the other hand,
students will be able to expand their knowledge in the English
dictionary if they learn one root every day. For example, if
students
remember
remember
what
the
word
craniate,
cranium
craniology,
(κρανίον), they
will
craniometry,
and
craniotome because these words have the same root (Pierson,
1989).
Chatzisavvas
14
Learning a new word with the use of etymology can also be
taught
by
stating
its
history.
For
example,
the
word
“disaster” can be taught in a unique way. According to the
Oxford
American
Dictionary
“Dis”,
the
prefix
of
the
word,
expresses a negation. The root of the word, “aster” (αστήρ)
means star (Classical Greek and Latin). The word “disaster”
primarily means that the stars were a bad position, therefore,
a catastrophic event would occur (Τζιροπούλου, 1995). Students
are expected to learn the prefixes and some roots of the words.
For example, the prefix ‘a’ stands for ‘not’ or ‘without’, the
prefix ‘ab’ stands for the meaning ‘away from’, ‘anti’ stands
for something against. (refer to pages 31-36).
Foreign words in student’s native language
Teachers can show the foreign words in students’ native
language
and
compare
them
to
similar
words
in
the
target
language. There are some words in the Greek language that come
from English: “In the meantime other foreign words and modern
terms especially English made their appearance such as okay,
sorry, thank you, booking, parking, flight, one way, duty free,
video, video-club and many others” (Κολίτσις, 1988). There are
a lot of English words that are used every day in the Greek
Chatzisavvas
15
language. Teachers can take these words and teach them during
class. This way, students will have less hard time learning
ESL.
In addition, there are a lot of Latin or old French words
that exist both in the Greek and English language. Moreover,
the Greek-Cypriot dialect, students’ dialect, has a lot of
Latin, Venetian, and Old French words because the island used
to
be
a
colony
of
these
empires.
Students’
dialect
can
absolutely help them learn more English words since there is a
connection between their dialect and the English language. For
example,
the
word
‘chair’
is
‘καρέκλα’
(karekla)
in
Greek
coming from the word ‘kathedrikos’ (cathedral). Besides that,
the word for chair in Cyprus is ‘tsaera’ (τσαέρα) borrowed
from Old French (Κολιτσίς, 1986). The French and Italians left
a number of words on the island that can be used to learn
English. Teachers on the island can teach English through the
geography of Cyprus. For example, there is an area called
“Fontana Amoroza”, (the fountain of love). The word fountain
means jets of water made to spout for ornamental purposes or
for drinking. In the Cypriot dialect, ‘fountana’ is the tap.
Teachers can also take other locations on the island and teach
ESL such as “Mare-Monde” [Μάρε-Μόντε] (sea-mountain) “Bella
Bays”
[Μπέλλα
Πάϊς]
(beautiful
country),
“Livera”
[Λιβερά]
Chatzisavvas
16
(coming from the French word “reviere” meaning on the coast)
(Χατζηιωάννου, 1986).
Moreover, the Modern Greek language has a lot of French,
Italian or Latin words that are used In the Greek or English
language. For example, “realism” (Latin), “garage” (French),
and “gas” (French) (Κουλάκης, 1993). These words should be
taken into account when teaching a new language. In some cases
teachers do not show these similarities. Furthermore, it might
be
difficult
for
some
students
due
to
the
difference
in
pronunciation.
The literature review points to the similarities among
languages
lexicon.
that
As
support
well,
the
students’
effort
to
literature
highlights
expand
some
their
of
the
problems with using etymology in language learning. This study
will
examine
if
a
group
of
Greek
students
can
learn
and
memorize more English words by using their mother tongue in
comparison to those who will learn new words without the help
of etymology. It will focus on learning new words by teaching
prefixes, roots, and suffixes, and it will aim to answer if
etymology has a positive or a negative impact in studying a
foreign language.
Chatzisavvas
17
Methodology
Subjects
Twelve
students
between
the
ages
of
fourteen
and
fifteen
participated in this study. Group A, intermediate II, had six
students, three male and three female. One female is 14 years
old, and the rest of the students are fifteen years old. Group
B, Intermediate I, had one male and five female. Three of the
female are fourteen years old, and the rest of the students
are fifteen years old. Some of the participants are a year
older than the rest of their classmates, but they are at the
same level of learning English in private schooling. On the
other hand, the students who are 15 years old have learned
English
one
year
more
in
public
schools.
This
is
because
students start learning English when they are on the third
grade. Therefore, even if this study takes place in a private
school, students who are younger have learned English one year
less in public schools.
All
of
the
participants
have
Greek
as
their
first
language and English as their second language. Participants
have also been learning Classical Greek and French since the
first grade of Gymnasium. The reason why they learn English in
Chatzisavvas
18
private schools is because some of these students will go to
Universities in the United Kingdom and the United States. Some
other students take these English classes to obtain several
degrees in English. Every year students get prepare for taking
English exams. These exams involve reading a text, writing an
essay, and grammar. Therefore, students who take place in this
study will be helped because they will learn some techniques
for guessing correct answers for words they do not know. One
of these techniques is to teach participants English words
with the help of their native tongue.
Design
This study has been designed to examine if the use of
etymology can help Greek ESL students learn more English words
through
the
similarities
between
their
native
and
target
language. Can etymology have an impact on Greek ESL students
and aid them gain more knowledge in English through their
native language? To evaluate the potential impact of etymology
on
second
language
learning,
participating
students
will
complete a post-test after a month learning of new English
words in the two different circumstances described.
Chatzisavvas
19
Materials
The subjects were given a pre-test with twenty multiple
choice words. There were four possible answers related to the
root or prefix of each word and students had to guess the
correct answer. Students whose answer got only the root or the
prefix correct received only half point. Students who guessed
both the prefix and root correctly received a point. One of
the possible answers was not related at all with the correct
answer. The pres-tests were intended by the designer; they
were
designed
in
this
manner
because
they
aimed
to
get
students to select the correct answer if they knew the roots
and prefixes of each word.
Each
multiple
choice
question
was
taken
from
an
etymological dictionary (see pages 40-56). The first group
memorized five new words every class period for one month
(each class takes place for one and a half hours twice a week).
Students in the first group had to come up with their own
examples of how they can use each word in sentences. Students
Chatzisavvas
20
got a dictation in the next class period. This process of
learning took ten minutes every class period.
The
second
group
studied
new
words
with
the
help
of
etymology. Students analyzed the meaning of the prefix and
roots of each word in the class period for the first ten
minutes.
They used etymology, broke down words like these,
get the meaning, and combined them together. Students also
identified
synonyms
and
antonyms.
For
example,
students
analyzed the word “ignorant”. Primarily, they had to separate
the
word
in
the
prefix,
root
and
suffix:
i-gnor-ant.
The
prefix, “i” can be transmitted as “in” (ιν) in Greek meaning
something
the
knowledge,
in
opposite.
Greek
The
“gnorizo”
root
“gnor”
(γνωρίζω)
is
related
Therefore,
to
ignorant
means someone who does not know or does not want to know.
Students also gathered the same root meaning if they presented
with the word "recognize". They had to learn five words every
class period. At the end of the term, students got examined in
the words they learned.
The two groups, Groups A and B, got the same words on
this post-test consisting of twenty multiple choice questions
whereby students had to guess the correct prefix and root of
each
word.
Each
correct
answer
was
worth
one
point.
If
students guessed the prefix or the root correctly, they get
only a half point.
Chatzisavvas
Students
who
participated
in
this
study
were
from
21
a
private English tutoring institute in Limassol, Cyprus. All
students have Greek as their first language, and they have
taken ESL for seven years. The students also have a background
of Ancient and Modern Greek, and they are at the same level of
English in public high schools. Besides that, some limitations
in this study, such as students might not get help by their
parents in English and even in Greek, must be taken into
account. Another limitation is that students might be speaking
another language at home, and therefore, they might not be
fluent Greek speakers. If so, students might not be able to
get the similarity between English and Greek.
In the first group, students learned new words in the
traditional way: by memorizing each word without any help of
etymology. The researcher translated each word in their native
language without any other help. The second group followed
this technique of etymology when learning new English words,
and there was a relationship between Greek and these words.
Each word on the pre-test and post-test has a Greek root,
or it is a word that comes from Latin, Italian, English or
French, but it is used by the native Greek speakers. This is
because recent studies have proved that literacy in L1 helps
literacy growth in L2. The more we know our first language,
the more we can achieve in the second language (Bigelow &
Chatzisavvas
22
Tarone, 2004). In this case, if students know their native
language in depth, they will not have a hard time in answering
these questions.
For example, Greek students might have less difficulty
determining
the
correct
meaning
of
the
word
“hemipathise”
because it has a Greek root and prefix (This is a pseudo
word)to half understand somebody’s problems
(a)
to half divide a path
(b)
to suffer from a blood disease
(c)
to
create
a
path
for
the
blood
to
flow
through
(Γιουγκιούκλης, 1990).
In
this
case,
the
first
answer
is
correct.
Therefore,
students who get this correct get one point. If they choose
the second option, they get half point as it only has the
prefix correct. The third answer has its root only correct, so
students get only a half point for this. The last answer has
its prefix and root incorrect. Therefore, students do not get
any point for this answer.
Students in the second group learned new words with the
help of etymology. After three months, they completed a posttest. They needed to know all roots that exist in the English
words and several roots. This way helped students guess the
correct answer even if they had never heard some of these
words. The first group is expected to score lower in the post
Chatzisavvas
test
because
etymology
or
they
just
cognitive
learned
new
thinking.
This
words
is
without
because
23
using
even
if
students in both groups were at the same level, they learnt
new words in a different way in a period of time where we
observed if etymology makes a difference in teaching.
Procedure
The instructions were given to the students on the front
page
of
the
pre-post
test
and
explained
in
their
target
language. They were also told that their names and scores
would
remain
anonymous.
Students
were
told
to
guess
all
questions related to words they use in their native language.
After
they
had
finished,
participants
explained
what
strategies they used to guess the correct answer. Some of them
explained that they used etymology to understand the root of
each word. Some others just guessed.
Chatzisavvas
24
Analysis of the data
The answers of the forty (40) questions were put into
table 1 including the averages (means X).
Table 1
Pre-test
X1
X2
1. Constellation
.2
.3
2.detour
.4
.3
3. revive
.0
.2
4. decline
.2
.2
5. Inflation
.4
.5
6. Insole
.3
.2
7. semicircle
.5
.5
8. impermeable
.3
.3
9. Semidome
.1
.2
Chatzisavvas
10. bipods
.3
.3
11. Interference
.5
.4
12. Incline
.6
.5
13. Indicate
.4
.5
14. Dilute
.7
.7
15. discourage
.7
.8
16. disaster
.7
.9
17. dismember
.3
.5
18. indifference
.5
.3
19. deflation
.3
.2
20. immortal
.2
.5
Σχ= 7.8
8.3
Post-test
X1
X2
1. pedestrian
.8
.8
2. aviation
.7
.75
3. assimilate
.4
.7
4. assistant
.7
.7
5. agriculture
.5
.6
6. destination
.6
.7
7. dimension
.5
.6
8. alternative
.6
.7
25
Chatzisavvas
9. predict
.5
.8
10 contradict
.7
.8
11. indicate
.4
.6
12. disperse
.5
.6
13. bigamist
.5
.8
14. brevity
.2
.4
15. acrostic
.7
.9
17. amorphous
.7
1.0
18. aspect
.4
.4
19. antinomy
.7
1.0
20. impetuous
.3
.4
Σχ = 11.4
26
13.5
Conclusion
The results of this study prove that etymology has a
positive impact in learning a second language. The difference
between the two groups of the pre-test is .5 However, the
difference of the post-test becomes 2.1. This confirms that
students can learn more words by comparing L1 and L2. The
graph on page 62 illustrates pre- and post-results, presenting
the positive impact of students using etymology as part of
their English language studies.
Chatzisavvas
Additional
anecdotal
information
provides
27
further
insights into the study that some students in group B found
teaching with etymology fun. After a month of teaching with
etymology some participants stated that it was interesting
learning English this way. They could also remember some of
the roots. Some others stated that it was boring because there
were a lot of ancient routes they had to memorize. A few of
them seemed to hate anything related to Ancient Greek.
Other
students just guessed during the test for the right answer.
According to the results, etymology has a positive impact in
learning
new
English
words.
Students
in
group
B
developed
better skills in learning new lexicon in a foreign language.
Therefore, participants can hold more amount of information in
English when this is related with their native language.
Chatzisavvas
28
References
Balme, M. & Lawall G. (2003). Athenaze: an introduction to
Ancient Greek. (2nd ed.). New York/Oxford: Oxford
University press.
Bellomo, T. (1999). Etymology and vocabulary development for
the L2 college student.
Bigelow, M
level
study
No.4,
& Elaine T. (2004). The forum. The role of literacy
in second language acquisition: doesn’t who we
determine what we know? TESOL quarterly, Vol. 38,
Winter 2004.
Coon, Dennis (2001). Introduction to psychology gateways to
mind and behavior. Ninth edition. Belmont, CA.
Davies P. (1981). Roots-family histories of familiar words.
(1st ed.). USA. Kingsport press.
Gorrell, R. (2001). What’s in a word. (1st ed.). Reno: Kaelin
Chappell.
Harris, Robert. Evaluating internet research sources.
VirtualSalt. 17 Nov. 1997. Retrieved October 2, 2004 from
the World Wide Web: http://www.virtualsalt.com/
evalu8it.htm.
Holmes, C., & Ronald, L. (1995). A computerized method to
teach Latin and Greek root words: effects on verbal SAT
scores. Journal of educational research, 0022-0671, Vol.
89. Issue 1, 1.
Ilson, R. (1983). Etymological information: can it help our
students? ELT journal. 37, 79.
Chatzisavvas
29
Κουλάκης, Γ. (1993). Το Μεγάλο ετυμολογικό λεξικό της
νεοελληνικής γλώσσας. (Α έκδοση). Θεσσαλονίκη: Εκδόσεις
Μαλλιαρής-Παιδεία Α.Ε.
Laird, C. Down Giantwife: The uses of etymology. English
Journal 1106-1112.
Maylath, B. (1997). Why do they get it when I say “gingivitis”
but not when I Say “gum swelling”? New directions of
teaching and learning. 70, 29,30.
Morwood, J. & Warman, M. (1990). Our Greek and Latin roots.
(3rd ed.) Musselburgh: Cambridge university press.
Oxford American dictionary and language guide (1999). New York:
Oxford University Press.
Pierson, H. (1989). Using etymology in the classroom. ELT
journal, 43/1 January 1989, 58,62.
Pittman, W. (2003). Building vocabulary through prefixes,
roots, and suffixes. The internet TESL journal, Vol.IX,
No. 7, July 2003. Retrieved October 2, 2004 from the
World Wide Web: http://iteslj.org/techniques/ PittmanBuildingVocabulary.html
Robert, H. (2003). Word roots and prefixes. Retrieved October
2, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.virtualsalt.
com/roots.htm
Small, R. (1987). Linguistics in the English class.
Educational journal 289 171, CS 210866, 16.
Solagne, M. & Sao C. (2001, July). Teaching vocabulary to
advanced students: a lexical approach. Retrieved
September 21, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://
www3.telus.net/linguisticissues/teachingvocabulary .html.
Thelen, J. (1986). Vocabulary instruction and meaningful
learning. Journal of reading, 604,607.
Τζιροπούλου-Ευσταθίου A. (1995). How the Greek language
fertilized the European languages. (1st ed.). Athens: Nea
thesis.
Chatzisavvas
30
Γιουγκιούκλης, Καμπάκης Κ. (1990). Lexical decomposition as a
strategy for guessing unknown words: users’ competence
and confidence. Educational research, 328 096, FL
019066, 2,9.
Roots and Prefixes
Root or Prefix
a, an
Meaning
not, without
Ab
away from
Ambul
to walk
Ante
before
anti, ant
against, opposite
Audi
to hear
Be
Auto
thoroughly
Self
Bene
good, well
cede, ceed, cess
to go, to yield
Chron
Time
cide, cis
to kill, to cut
Circum
around
Examples
atheist, anarchy, anonymous apathy,
aphasia, anemia
absent, abduction, aberrant,
abstemious
ambulatory, amble, ambulance,
somnambulist
anteroom, antebellum, antedate
antecedent, antediluvian
antisocial, antiseptic, antithesis,
antibody, antichrist, antinomies,
antifreeze, antipathy, antigen,
antibiotic
audience, auditory, audible,
auditorium, audiovisual, audition
bedecked, besmirch, besprinkled
automobile, automatic, autograph,
autonomous, autoimmune
benefactor, beneficial, benevolent,
benediction, beneficiary, benefit
succeed, proceed, precede, recede,
secession, exceed, succession
chronology, chronic, chronicle
chronometer, anachronism
fratricide, suicide, incision, excision,
circumcision
circumnavigate, circumflex,
circumstance, circumcision,
circumference, circumorbital,
Chatzisavvas
clud, clus claus
to close
con, com
with, together
contra, counter
against, opposite
Cred
to believe
Cycl
De
circle, wheel
from, down, away
dei, div
God, god
Demo
Dia
people
through, across, between
Dict
speak
dis, dys, dif
away, not, negative
duc, duct
to lead, pull
dyn, dyna
power
Ecto
outside, external
Endo
Equi
inside, withing
equal
e, ex
out, away, from
exter, extra
outside of
circumlocution, circumvent,
circumscribe, circulatory
include, exclude, clause,
claustrophobia, enclose, exclusive,
reclusive, conclude
convene, compress, contemporary,
converge, compact, confluence,
concatenate, conjoin, combine
contradict, counteract, contravene,
contrary, counterspy, contrapuntal
credo, credible, credence, credit,
credential, credulity, incredulous
bicycle, cyclical, cycle, encliclical
detach, deploy, derange, deodorize,
devoid, deflate, degenerate, deice
divinity, divine, deity, divination,
deify
democracy, demagogue, epidemic
diameter, diagonal, dialogue dialect,
dialectic, diagnosis, diachronic
predict, verdict, malediction,
dictionary, dictate, dictum, diction,
indict
dismiss, differ, disallow, disperse,
dissuade, disconnect, dysfunction,
disproportion, disrespect, distemper,
distaste, disarray, dyslexia
produce, abduct, product, transducer,
viaduct, aqueduct, induct, deduct,
reduce, induce
dynamic, dynamometer, heterodyne,
dynamite, dynamo, dynasty
ectomorph, ectoderm, ectoplasm,
ectopic, ectothermal
endotoxin, endoscope, endogenous
equidistant, equilateral, equilibrium,
equinox, equitable, equation, equator
emit, expulsion, exhale, exit, express,
exclusive, enervate, exceed, explosion
external, extrinsic, exterior
extraordinary, extrabiblical
extracurricular, extrapolate,
31
Chatzisavvas
flu, flux
Flow
flect, flex
to bend
graph, gram
to write
Hetero
other
Homo
same
Hyper
over, above
Hypo
below, less than
in, im
Not
Infra
inter, intro
beneath
between
Intra
jac, ject
within, into
to throw
Mal
bad, badly
Mega
great, million
Meso
middle
Meta
beyond, change
Meter
measure
Micro
small
Mis
bad, badly
extraneous
effluence, influence, effluvium,
fluctuate, confluence, reflux, influx
flexible, reflection, deflect,
circumflex
polygraph, grammar, biography,
graphite, telegram, autograph,
lithograph, historiography, graphic
heterodox, heterogeneous,
heterosexual, heterodyne
homogenized, homosexual,
homonym, homophone
hyperactive, hypertensive, hyperbolic,
hypersensitive, hyperventilate,
hyperkinetic
hypotension, hypodermic,
hypoglycemia, hypoallergenic
inviolate, innocuous, intractable,
innocent, impregnable, impossible
infrared, infrastructure
international, intercept, intermission,
interoffice, internal, intermittent,
introvert, introduce
intranet, intracranial, intravenous
reject, eject, project, trajectory,
interject, dejected, inject, ejaculate
malformation, maladjusted, dismal,
malady, malcontent, malfeasance,
maleficent
megaphone, megalomaniac,
megabyte, megalopolis
mesomorph, mesoamerica,
mesosphere
metaphor, metamorphosis,
metabolism, metahistorical,
metainformation
perimeter, micrometer, ammeter,
multimeter, altimeter
microscope, microprocessor,
microfiche, micrometer, micrograph
misinform, misinterpret,
mispronounce, misnomer, mistake,
32
Chatzisavvas
mit, miss
to send
Morph
Multi
shape
many
Neo
New
Non
Omni
Para
Not
All
beside
Per
Peri
through, intensive
around
Phon
sound
Phot
Poly
Light
many
Port
to carry
Re
Retro
back, again
backwards
Sanct
Holy
scrib, script
to write
sect, sec
Cut
Semi
Half
Spect
to look
Sub
under, below
super, supra
above
Syn
Tele
together
distance, from afar
misogynist
transmit, permit, missile, missionary,
remit, admit, missive, mission
polymorphic, morpheme, amorphous
multitude, multipartite, multiply,
multipurpose
neologism, neonate, neoclassic,
neophyte
nonferrous, nonabrasive, nondescript
omnipotent, omnivorous, omniscient
paraprofessional, paramedic,
paraphrase, parachute
permit, perspire, perforate, persuade
periscope, perimeter, perigee,
periodontal
telephone, phonics, phonograph,
phonetic, homophone, microphone
photograph, photosynthesis, photon
polytheist, polygon, polygamy,
polymorphous
porter, portable, report,
transportation, deport, import, export
report, realign, retract, revise, regain
retrorocket, retrospect, retrogression,
retroactive
sanctify, sanctuary, sanction,
sanctimonious, sacrosanct
inscription, prescribe, proscribe,
manuscript, conscript, scribble, scribe
intersect, transect, dissect, secant,
section
semifinal, semiconscious,
semiannual, semimonthly, semicircle
inspect, spectator, circumspect,
retrospect, prospect, spectacle
submerge, submarine, substandard,
subnormal, subvert
superior, suprarenal, superscript,
supernatural, supercede
synthesis, synchronous, syndicate
television, telephone, telegraph,
33
Chatzisavvas
theo, the
therm, thermo
God
Heat
Tract
to drag, draw
Trans
across
Un
veh, vect
vert, vers
Not
to carry
to turn
Vita
Life
telemetry
theology, theist, polytheist
thermal, thermometer, thermocouple,
thermodynamic, thermoelectric
attract, tractor, traction, extract,
retract, protract, detract, subtract,
contract, intractable
transoceanic, transmit, transport,
transducer
uncooked, unharmed, unintended
vector, vehicle, convection, vehement
convert, revert, advertise, versatile,
vertigo, invert, reversion, extravert,
introvert
vital, vitality, vitamins, revitalize
Prefix
Meaning
Examples
mono, uni
One
monopoly, monotype, monologue,
mononucleosis, monorail,
monotheist, unilateral, universal,
unity, unanimous, uniform
bi, di
Two
divide, diverge, diglycerides,
bifurcate, biweekly, bivalve,
biannual
Tri
three
triangle, trinity, trilateral,
triumvirate, tribune, trilogy
quat, quad
Four
quadrangle, quadruplets
quint, penta
Five
quintet, quintuplets, pentagon,
pentane, pentameter
hex, ses, sex
Six
hexagon, hexameter, sestet,
sextuplets
Sept
seven
septet, septennial
Oct
eight
octopus, octagon, octogenarian,
Number Prefixes
34
Chatzisavvas
octave
Non
Nine
nonagon, nonagenarian
Dec
Ten
decimal, decade, decalogue,
decimate
Cent
hundred
centennial, century, centipede
mill, kilo
thousand
millennium, kilobyte, kiloton
Mega
million
megabyte, megaton, megaflop
Giga
billion
gigabyte, gigaflop
Tera
trillion
terabyte, teraflop
Milli
thousandth
millisecond, milligram, millivolt
Micro
millionth
microgram, microvolt
Nano
billionth
nanosecond, nanobucks
Pico
trillionth
picofarad, picocurie
Femto
quadrillionth
femtosecond
(Robert Harris, 2003)
35
Chatzisavvas
Pretest
Name:_________________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________________
Please choose one out of the four possible answers for each
unknown word. You have to answer all twenty questions.
(1) Constellation:
(a) a group of thieves
(b) a group of stars
(c) a situation that still remains the same
(d) when a situation gets cancelled
(2) detour
(a) the top of Eiffel tower
(b) a tourist who asks for directions
36
Chatzisavvas
(c) a road that has a dead end
(d) an alternative route
(3) revive
(a) to drink a glass of wine
(b) to live again
(c) to repeat the same mistake continuously
(d) someone who talks loud
(4) decline
(a) the northern part of hemisphere
(b) to go down
(c) when an object falls down
(d) When somebody visits a clinic
(5) Inflation
(a) increase of money or credit
(b) increase the fire
(c) put out the fire
(d) loss of something important
(6) Insole
(a) inner part of the brain
(b) inside of a shoe
37
Chatzisavvas
(c) blasphemy
(d) the upper part of a shoe
(7) semicircle
(a) a part of the moon
(b) a half part of a circle
(c) a part of a circle
(d) a full moon
(8) impermeable
(a) to pass
(b) to make a favour
(c) not able to talk
(d) not able to pass/go through
(9) Semidome
(a) a roof covering the half of a circular room
(b) a roof that covers the whole room
(c) a room, usually basement to store wine
(d) an attic
(10) bipods
(a)
a fish with two legs
(b)
an animal that has two legs
38
Chatzisavvas
(c)
an animal with four legs
(d)
a human that lives over a century
(11) Interference
(a)
to become full of fear
(b)
to get involved in a situation
(c) to give something to a person
(d) to become friends with someone
(12)
Incline
(a) leaning or bending
(b) to go down
(c) when an object falls down
(d) When somebody visits a clinic
(13) Indicate
(a) to point out
(b) to hide something from a person
(c) to show
(d) all of the above
(e) a & c
(14) Dilute
(a) to reduce the strength of a fluid
(b) to increase the strength of a fluid
(c) a coward person
39
Chatzisavvas
(d) a and b
(15) discourage
(a)
lack of courage
(b)
a feeling of confidence
(c)
patience
(d)
all of the above
(16) disaster
(a)
a catastrophic event
(b)
a helpful event
(b)
to be in a hurry
(d)
all of the above
(17) dismember
(a) to put things together
(b) to cut into pieces
(c) to throw away something
(d) a and b
(18) indifference
(a)
lack of sympathy
(b)
lack of interest
(c)
lack of concern
40
Chatzisavvas
(d)
all of the above
(19) deflation
(a) to reduce
(b) to increase
(c) to put fire
(d) all of the above
(20) immortal
(a) eternal
(b) someone who died
(c) undying
(d) a and c
41
Chatzisavvas
Explanation of the Pre – test words
Constellation:
κων, με + στέλλα – αστήρ – αστέρι
detour:
τουρνός, ταξιδιώτης
revive:
re = ξανά + βίος
decline:
απο, κάτω + κλήνω
inflation:
εν + φλαίω
insole:
42
Chatzisavvas
εν + σόλα
semicircle:
ήμισον + κύκλος
impermeable:
α + πέρασμα
semi dome:
ήμισον + δομή
bipods:
δύο + πους, πόδι
interfere:
ανα + φερώ
incline:
εν + κλήνω
indicate:
εν + δεικνύω
dilute:
διαλυτικό
discourage:
δις + κουράγιο
43
Chatzisavvas
disaster:
δις + αστήρ
dismember:
δις + μέλος
deflation:
από, κάτω + φλαίω
immortal:
Αμβροσία
44
Chatzisavvas
Post – Test
Name:_________________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________________
Please choose one out of the four possible answers for each
unknown word. You have to answer all twenty questions
(1) Pedestrian
(a) A person who walks in a town
(b) Someone with a disability
(c) Someone who uses public transportation
(d) A and C
(2) Aviation
(a) to avoid a situation
(b) to operate an aircraft
(c) to prevent something happening
(d) A bird that originates from Africa
45
Chatzisavvas
(3) Assimilate
(a) to incorporate
(b) to take in
(c) to understand
(d) all of the above
(4) Assistant
(a) Helper
(b) Supporter
(c) Chief
(d) A and B
(5) Agriculture
(a) Farming
(b) Anything related to foreign cultures
(c) Flora
(d) Fauna
(6) Destination
(a) Purpose
(b) Objective
(c) Intention
(d) all of the above
(7) Dimension
(a) Measurement
46
Chatzisavvas
(b) to mention someone
(c) An amusement park
(d) All of the above
(8) Alternative
(a) option
(b) choice
(c) substitute
(d) all of the above
(9) predict
(a) Expect
(b) Guess
(c) Observe
(d) all of the above
(10) contradict (κόντρα + δεικνύω)
(a) Disagree
(b) Correspond
(c) Correct
(d) a and c
(11) Indicate
(a) Specify
(b) Show
47
Chatzisavvas
(c) Point
(d) all of the above
(12) Disperse
(a) to break up
(b) to go away
(c) to put things together
(d) a and b
(13) Bigamist
(a) to glue two parts
(b) to play a game
(c) to have two marriages
(d) all of the above
(14) Brevity
(a) Shortness
(b) Briefness
(c) Lengthiness
(d) a and b
(16) Acrostic
(a) a poem in which certain
letters in each line form a word
(b) the meaning on each conversation
(c) the end of a line
48
Chatzisavvas
(d) an ankle less than 90 degrees
(17) Amorphous
(a) Formless
(b) Shapeless
(c) Defined
(d) a and b
(18) Aspect
(a) Feature
(b) Portion
(c) Characteristic
(d) all of the above
(19) Antinomy
(a) Against the law
(b) Against reputation
(c) to give a nick name
(d) a and b
(20) Impetuous
(a) Hasty
(b) Spontaneous
(c) Rash
(d) all of the above
49
Chatzisavvas
Explanation of the Post – Test Words
Pedestrian
πους, πόδι = πεζός
Aviation
αιβετός (Ancient Greek) = αητός
Assimilate
α + ‘ομοιους
Assistant
α + ιστήμι
Agriculture
αγρός + colos LT (κουλτούρα)
Destination
δι + ιστάνω
50
Chatzisavvas
Dimension
δι + μετρώ
Alternative
άλλος + έτερος
predict
προ + δεικνύω
Indicate
εν + δεικνύω
Disperse
δια + σπέρνω
Bigamist
δύο + γάμος
Brevity
βραχύς
Acrostic
άκρος + στίχος
Amorphous
α + μορφή
51
Chatzisavvas
Aspect
α + σκοπέω
Antinomy
αντί + νόμος
Impetuous
εν + πετώ
52
Chatzisavvas
The Greek Alphabet
Letter
Transliteration
Pronunciation
in Ancient Greek
Pronunciation
in Modern Greek
Α,α
alpha
α (short) as in
father; α (long)
as in father, but
held longer
α (short) as the
sound of father
B,β
beta
as in base
as in vase
Γ,γ
gamma
an in gray
as in York
Δ,δ
delta
as in Denmark
as in there
Ε,ε
epsilon
as in get
as in get
Ζ,ζ
zeta
as in wisdom
or as in pizza
as in zebra
53
Chatzisavvas
Η,η
eta
as in get, but
held longer
as in the sound
in it
Θ,θ
theta
as in top
or as in thanks
as in thanks
Ι,ι
iota
ι(short) as in the
sound in it. ι(long)
as in the sound in
keen.
as in the sound
in it.
Κ,κ
kappa
as in sack
as in sack
Λ,λ
lambda
L
L
Μ,μ
mi
M
M
Ν,ν
ni
N
N
Ξ,ξ
xi
as in axe
as in axe
Ο,ο
omicron
as in don’t
as in don’t
Π,π,ϖ
pi
as in sap
as in sap
Ρ,ρ
rho
a trilled r
a trilled r
Σ,σ, c,s sigma
as in sing
as in sing
Τ,τ
as in sat
as in sat
taf
54
Chatzisavvas
Υ,υ
upsilon
u (short) as in
tu in French/u
long as in tu
French but longer
as in the
sound in it
Φ,φ
phi
aspirated sound
as in pot or as
in fame
as in fame
Χ,χ
chi
as in kit
as travajo in
Spanish
Ψ,ψ
psi
as in lips
as in lips
Ω,ω
omega
as in caught
but longer
as in caught
55
Chatzisavvas
56