Functions of Etymology in Vocabulary learning

王東林

1.Learning etymology with English word formation helping English learners to memorize and enlarge vocabulary.

One of the things in learning the English language is to learn as many new words and expressions as one can so as to command a large working vocabulary because without grammar， little can be conveyed， but without words， nothing can be conveyed. If we compare English learning as a skyscraper building， and then English words are just like countless bricks that needed for the skyscraper construction. It is impossible to build a mansion without the reliable support of bricks， so does the English learning. Hamer once pointed out： “if we compare language structure as the sketch of language， vocabulary is the thing that provides important organs as well as blood and fresh. Even if you master the grammar structure， the grammar structure without using words， you could never express anything” （153）.Therefore， in the process of studying English learning， the vocabulary learning is the first step and the most important part. It is the foundation of English learning and learning a foreign language is basically a matter of learning the vocabulary of that language.

2.Learning etymology helping English learners to understand the history of English vocabulary.

For many English words， we know their meanings， but we may not know their origins hindering our understanding of English words. American linguist Wilfred once said： “if there is no etyma， many words appearing their present forms may look like that the authority is granted by God， therefore as if their present appearances are irrelevant to their languages past of language itself ” （Wilfred 26）.

Its true that etymology study will deepen our understanding of words and make our words learning more interesting. For instance， at the very beginning of learning English， some learners will read letters from an “Alphabet”， but few learners knew the word alphabet came from the combination of the pronunciation of two Greek letters “α” and “ β”. Not surprisingly， many English learners knew that nicotine is a kind of poisonous chemical which provides the taste and effect of tobacco. But few knew that the word “nicotine” came from a man named Jean Nicot， a French diplomat in the sixteenth century who bought some tobacco seeds from a Flemish trader and brought them back to France.

3.Learning etymology helping English learners to grasp the cultural meaning of English vocabulary.

It is universally acknowledged that language and culture are coexisted and closely related. On the one hand， language is an indispensable part of its culture and a basic tool to learn the cultures of target language countries. On the other hand， language is influenced by its culture. Various lifestyles， values and thinking logics and so on formed under distinctive culture background. Its necessary and reasonable to learn cultures of English-speaking countries for English learners in order to fully understand English language.

4.Learning etymology helping English learners to comprehend English idioms

As an important part of the vocabulary in the English language， English idioms vividly reflect the environment， history， life and culture of the native English speakers， and are closely associated with peoples innermost spirit and feeling. It has been considered as “the cream of language” （周 134-9）. The definition of an idiom in the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English： “a phrase which means something different from the meanings of the serrate words from which it is formed”. The dictionary also gives an typical example： to kick a bucket is an English idiom meaning “to die”. From the definition and example given in the dictionary we know that an idiom is a fixed group of words with a special meaning that can not be guessed from its structure. The meaning of an idiom must be learned as a whole.

Nowadays more and more idiomatic expressions appear in the English language because of tendencies of using more idioms in the present-day English.

5. Learning etymology helping English learners to keep pace with the growth of English new words.

In linguistics， a neologism is a recently coined words， phrase or usage. It can also be an existing word or phrase which has been assigned a new meaning. The term itself was coined around 1800.

The most important job of a language is to help us describe our world， which is different today in a thousand ways from yesterday. The growth of English vocabulary is actually a result of social and historical changes that the language has gone through. The 20th century saw rapid globalization of the English language， with new ideas， new inventions， new phenomena continually arising. When English words failed to express them， new words were created. Neologisms， or new words， are often found in association with those new things or old ideas taking on a new connotation.