The Etymology of English Words

Are Etymological and Stylistic Characteristics

of Words Interrelated?

The answer must be affirmative. Among learned words and terminology the foreign element dominates the native.

It also seems that the whole opposition of "formal versus informal" is based on the deeper underlying opposition of "borrowed versus native", as the informal style, especially slang and dialect, abounds in native words even though it is possible to quote numerous exceptions.

In point of comparing the expressive and stylistic value of the French and the English words the French ones are usually more formal, more refined, and less emotional. “to begin” – “to commence”, “to wish” — “to desire”, “happiness" — “felicity”.

English words are much warmer than their Latin synonyms, they don’t sound cold and dry: “motherly” — “maternal”, “fatherly” — “paternal”, “childish” — “infantile", “daughterly” — “filial”, etc.

1.     Г.Б.Антрушина, О.В.Афанасьева. Лексикология английского языка. - М. Изд. Дрофа. 1999

2.     F.R.Palmer. Semantics. A new outline. - M. V.Sh. 1982

[1] Roman invasion in Britain began in 43 A.D. Romans had held on the country for 400 years (till 407 A.D.).

[2] By a borrowing or loan-word we mean a word which came into the vocabulary of one language from another and was assimilated by the new language.

[3] Sc. “hus+bondi” means "inhabitant of the house".

[4] Sc. “vindauga” means "the eye of the wind".

[5] By the native element we mean words which were not borrowed from other languages but represent the original stock of this particular language.

[6] By etymology of words is understood their origin.

[7] “Autumn” is a French borrowing.

[8] Cognates - words of the same etymological root, of common origin.

[9] By remnant suffixes are meant the ones that are only partially preserved in the structure of the word: Lat. (-ctus) >Lat. (-ct).

[10] The term “loan-word” is equivalent to “borrowing”.