A Pig by Any Other Name
Would you like some pig for dinner? Or some cow? Through daily use, one never realizes that in English there is usually one word for the animal and another for the food. In other languages there is generally only one word for both animal and food. Once upon a time there was only one word in English, too. Until William brought over some new vocabulary from Normandy in 1066.
Of course, the Anglo-Saxon serfs would care for the pig and the cow, while the Norman lords would eat the pork and the beef. Gradually the two words shook hands in the new English language that came out of the hodge-podge of the local language and the introduced French. And we tend to do the same with foods from other cultures. We don't like to eat squid, but we'll eat calamari. Instead of saying rice and raw fish, we'll say sushi. English is a language that just keeps growing. Especially now, with all the different cultural imports from around the world.
Those of us who speak and understand English are quite lucky to be able to use such a vibrant and versatile language. Some of my students are surprised when I explain there's a synonym for some word we're discussing. In Spanish there generally isn't. Spanish just takes outright from the English language words that if expressed in Spanish would be longer. Others are taken because they are more universal. Parking, for example, is better understood by foreigners than aparcadero. But smartphone translates into teléfono inteligente. From two syllables to two words. But Spanish doesn't really borrow from any other language. English, however, has made its own many foreign words that have gradually been swallowed whole into the daily speech of many people. Ever eaten a gyros? You probably know it's a tasty Greek sandwich. Instead of saying Greek sandwich, diners say gyros and everyone knows what they're ordering. Drunk a capuccino once? That's how you order it instead of strong Italian style coffee with a head of milk. You've got to love the elasticity of English.
I suppose that's the good side of globablization. Cultures come together, share food, and enlarge languages and ideas. Ever since 1066 in English.
Of course, the Anglo-Saxon serfs would care for the pig and the cow, while the Norman lords would eat the pork and the beef. Gradually the two words shook hands in the new English language that came out of the hodge-podge of the local language and the introduced French. And we tend to do the same with foods from other cultures. We don't like to eat squid, but we'll eat calamari. Instead of saying rice and raw fish, we'll say sushi. English is a language that just keeps growing. Especially now, with all the different cultural imports from around the world.
Those of us who speak and understand English are quite lucky to be able to use such a vibrant and versatile language. Some of my students are surprised when I explain there's a synonym for some word we're discussing. In Spanish there generally isn't. Spanish just takes outright from the English language words that if expressed in Spanish would be longer. Others are taken because they are more universal. Parking, for example, is better understood by foreigners than aparcadero. But smartphone translates into teléfono inteligente. From two syllables to two words. But Spanish doesn't really borrow from any other language. English, however, has made its own many foreign words that have gradually been swallowed whole into the daily speech of many people. Ever eaten a gyros? You probably know it's a tasty Greek sandwich. Instead of saying Greek sandwich, diners say gyros and everyone knows what they're ordering. Drunk a capuccino once? That's how you order it instead of strong Italian style coffee with a head of milk. You've got to love the elasticity of English.
I suppose that's the good side of globablization. Cultures come together, share food, and enlarge languages and ideas. Ever since 1066 in English.
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