1 Narayan Greg Narayan Linguistics 109 Wayne Harbert Homework Assignment #5 April 2007
Part A. Phobia Word Cynophobia Neophobia Gamophobia Gynephobia Pantophobia Dysmorphophobia Ballistophobia Topophobia Myxophobia Limnophobia Ailurophobia Peniaphobia Ergophobia Cryophobia Stygiophobia Pogonophobia Nosophobia Oneirophobia Gymnophobia Hematophobia Meaning Fear of dogs Fear of new things Fear of marriage Fear of women Fear of everything Fear of being deformed Fear of missiles/projectiles Fear of certain place or location Fear of slime or mucus Fear of lakes Fear of cats Fear of poverty Fear of work Fear of freezing Fear of hell Fear of beards Fear of disease Fear of dreams Fear of nudity Fear of blood Related Word "neo" meaning new (i.e. Neonazi) Gametes Gynecologist Pantomime Morph Ballistics Topography Related word? Related word? Related word? Related word? Ergonomics Cryogenic Related word? Related word? Gymnosophist Oneirocritic Gymnosophist Hemoglobin
Note: For words in italics, I was unable to find a related word and had to simply look the original word up. Part B. Borrowing from Latin Limbo Rebus Subpoena Quorum Quota Requiem Latin Inflection Form Limbus Rs Poena Qu Quotus Requis
Narayan 2 Inhabitant Credo Placebo Veto Memento Relate Caveat Exit Habitat Recipe Habeas corpus Part C. Words Stratum Memorandum Antenna Quantum Syllabus Cactus Rhinoceros Sphinx Larynx Alumnus Recommended Plural Form Strata Memorandums Antennas, antennae Quanta Syllabuses, Syllabi Cacti, cactuses Rhinoceroses Sphinxes Larynges Alumni Inhabitare Crd Placre Vetre Meminisse Referre Cavre Exre Habitre Recipere Habre
I agree with the dictionary on all recommended plural forms for these words with the exception of those for memorandum and rhinoceros. It seems to me that it would make more sense for these words to instead be memoranda and rhinoceri. Part D. Latin Loanword Aorta Creed Cowl Pillow Toll Desk Digit Nun Referendum Apocalypse Forceps Borrowed from? (guess) OE OE OE Middle English Middle English Latin OE OE OE Latin Latin Borrowed from? When? (correct answer) From Mid Latin (1578) From Old English From Old English From Old English From Old English From Mid Latin (1363) From Latin (1398) From Old English (1275) From Germanic (1847) From Latin (1384) From Latin (1563)
Narayan 3 Allegory Propaganda French? Middle English From Old French (1382) From Modern English (1718)
Part E. Word Exoskeleton Sympathy Television Ectoparasite Monaural Diglossa Bicycle Hypertonic Semimonthly Euphoria Architect Biodiversity Speedometer Dipole Hybrid? Yes (Greek + Latin) No No (both parts French) Yes (Greek + French) Yes (Greek + Latin) No (both parts Latin) No No (both parts Greek) Yes No Yes Yes (Greek + French) Yes No (both parts Latin)
Part F. Borrowings (Latin, Greek) Wine Cheese Street Monastery Scribe Dish Mint Bishop Blame Chair Desk Devil Church Palsy Related English Word from Separate Borrowing Vino Kvass Structure Phalanstery Scrivener Disk Money Episcopal Greyhound Ex cathedra Dish Satan Kirk Paralysis, polio
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Greg Narayan Linguistics 109 Wayne Harbert Final Essay April 2007
Every year our country receives hundreds of thousands of immigrants from around the world who seek to find success and prosperity in our rich American environment. Foreign immigrants establish themselves in communities throughout the United States, and strive to find a firm foundation from which they can spread ideas and beliefs, increase support for their cultures and traditions, and ensure the success of following generations. One cannot deny the vast impact foreign cultures have had on the culture we call "American" today. However of the many regions of the globe which have planted their seed in America and seek success academically, socially, and economically, one group stands out for its overwhelmingly large contributions. Indian immigrants and their descendants are one of the largest represented groups within the United States, and have earned their place at the top of academic and financial charts due to their dedication to hard work and passion for spreading native culture in communities were they reside. Their prominence in American schools, jobs, politics, and media is undeniable, and their growing presence has resulted in a large contribution on their part to our language, culture, and society in general. Native born Indians and their following generations have become a major force in the United States' academic and economic world over the past two decades. While it may be easy to underestimate the contributions of Indians in nearly all aspects of our society due to the presence of a wide variety of other races within the country, Indians in the past twenty or so years have planted themselves firmly in top academic institutions throughout the country. Beginning in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the mass Indian diaspora to the United States has created effects which ripple throughout society today (1). Young Indian immigrants arrived on the shores of the United States as many do today with educational backgrounds from the top Indian institutions for higher learning that reflect years upon years of rigorous work needed to succeed in their cutthroat economic system. Within a decade of diaspora, Indian-Americans were beginning to set astounding records within the United States. In the years 1997-1998, the American Universities Admission Program, a global consulting firm, reported that a staggering 4092 Indian born professors were teaching in universities throughout the U.S (1). Being at Cornell, it's easy to see the large presence of Indian-American students on campus. Indians dominate specifically in the areas of engineering, medicine, and and government, constantly enrich our environment with aspects of their native culture. Just walking around campus one can identify several examples of ways in which Indian culture is being enhanced our environment: Indian movies and shows, annual cultural celebrations, and student groups and comities dedicated to furthering support for Indians in communities where they represent a minority. With their firm stake in American educational systems and the culture surrounding them, it is no wonder why Indian-
Narayan 5 Americans go on to become dominant members of the elite work force in the United States. While Indian-Americans have been stereotyped to have skills that pertain to industries involving advanced work with computers and technology, their dominance is by no means limited to this area of work. Highly skilled Indian workers excel in everything from the field of medicine to information technology, and push the boundaries of what scientist and engineers once thought to be impossible each and every day. Not only this, but just a decade after one of the largest movements of Indians to America, Indian born residents of the U.S. earned the position of the top highest paid racial group with the country. While the success of Indian Americans in creating and advancing technologies we use daily to better our lives is undeniable, it would be wrong to say that this has been their only accomplishment. Indian food chains are just one more way in which their culture and traditions are being deeply rooted into American society. Names such as Taste of India, Udopi Caf, and Bombay Palace are just a few among the thousands of Indian restaurants and grocery stores that have sprung up all around the U.S. in the past two decades. Uncultured Americans enter these eateries and stores and gradually learn of Indian foods, customs, and traditions. Words such as putu, Indian for the small, round, piece of jewelry worn on the forehead by men and women, na'an, a traditional Indian flatbread found now in nearly all Indian-American restaurants, and tandoori, referring to a specific spice found in a wide range of Indian dishes, have become commonplace for Americans dining in these restaurants. The Indian food chains which now seem an ordinary sight in any strip mall or fancy dining location represent both a massive economic and cultural contribution to the United States, and serve to both educate in and spread Indian culture. Another example of an economic, and media, force that is rapidly working to enrich our country with more Indian influence and culture is the movie-producing industry known as Bollywood. Stationed in a part of India now known a Mumbai, this film making giant creates hundreds of cheap movies a year for the entertainment of the Indian population. However as the influence and productions of Bollywood reach areas of the U.S. it is inevitable that Indian customs and traditions will find increased prominence in American culture. Bollywood produces both films as well as modern Indian music, and by introducing these influences into our already thriving media community, it is likely that an increased amount of Indian dialect will find its way into American society. While many Indian words enter the scope of English language each year, the process words go through in earning acceptance in an outside language is no small task. Both cultural and sound differences often prevent the transfer of common Indian vocabulary to the English vocabulary, and it is often necessary for words to undergo both phonological as well as morphological modifications (2). One example of how words from Indian dialect enter into the English language or vernacular is how Indian words pass through the Malayan language before rooting themselves in English. A few examples of this transformation are as follows: The Hindu word gamja has become the word ganja, referring to the plant and drug known as marijuana; the Hindu word ca'y has been transformed through Malayan to now mean tea in English; and the Hindu word sa'di has become the more Americanized saree, referring to a traditional dress worn by Indian women (2). These three words are just a few examples of how native Indian
Narayan 6 words have made their way into English, and represent a transformation of both culture and ideas as American society becomes enhanced by foreign influence. It is clear that India influence has enriched the United States in many aspects of our economy, society, and common dialect. Without the transfer of ideas and cultures due to immigration from foreign countries, our modern American societies would suffer both from a lack of cultural diversity, as well as in inability to understand the ways of foreigners. By allowing the transfer of new words and ideas into our English language, we are creating a healthy mix of global influence. It is this cultural acceptance and quest for outside ideas which has allowed the United States to reach the top in many aspects of the global economy. Likewise, it is an understanding of all cultures and an effort to incorporate their ways into our American society which will allow us to continue to prosper and succeed in an every changing world.
1) Kumary, Geetha. "Lexical Choice by Mass Media and its Impact on Indian Lanugages." Language in India. 5 May 2003. 29 Apr 2007 <http://www.languageinindia.com/may2003/geethamassmedia.html>.
2) Panagariya, Arvind. "The Indian Diaspora in the United States." 23 May 2001. The Economic Times. 4 May 2007 <http://www.columbia.edu/~ap2231/ET/et26-may01.htm>.
3) Stockwell, Robert, and Donka Minerva. English Words: History and Structure. Cambridge: The Cambridge University Press, 2001.
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