Cognates: Similarities In English And Spanish Words

By Joan Veronica Robertson

A short and enjoyable study of 120 English words and their pair companions in the Spanish language. These pairs are called cognates.
Each English word shows its meaning, an example sentence that contains the word, the approximate date it appeared as part of the English language and its probable origin. The corresponding Spanish word is then introduced.
The words are taken from the suggested lists for graduate candidates that need to take the GRE test for entry into a postgraduate course in the US.
Cognate awareness is a great language bridge for both Spanish and English speakers. These short lists are presented in an interesting way that avoids the traditional experience of reviewing a dictionary.
It is hoped that this study is amusing, enjoyable and enriching!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Joan Veronica Robertson
• Release date: Jul 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311528148

Joan Veronica Robertson

I am a Chilean citizen by birth and a British national due to my dual nationality status. I have lived most of my life in Chile, where I hold a teaching certificate and a Master’s degree in Education. I am now retired from active work and spend most of my time writing. I do love to write!My second love is teaching. I'm a Math and Physics teacher but at the moment I'm teaching English as a second language to Spanish speaking adults and young adults. I love that too!

Book preview

COGNATES, SIMILARITIES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH WORDS.

By Joan Veronica Robertson

Copyright 2014 Joan Veronica Robertson

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Photo Credits.

Cover images.

Stonehenge. This view is on the Public Domain, via Pixabay.

Altamira Cave (Spain). The view shows one of the marvelous prehistoric wall paintings. Credited to Rameessos via Wikimedia Commons, it is also a Public Domain image.

Chapter images.

These images are based on backgrounds provided by Pixabay, all of which are on the Public Domain. The lettering is my own.

To my mother, father and grandmother, who taught me to love languages and words.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

Chapter 1. Short Overview of the English and Spanish Languages.

Chapter 2. Background Concepts and Structure for this Study.

Chapter 3. Words, Words, So Many Words.

Chapter 4. Words Are Beautiful!

Chapter 5. What Would We Do Without Words?

Chapter 6. Let’s Look At Some More Words.

Chapter 7. And Yet More Words!

Chapter 8. Did Anyone Say Words?

Chapter 9. Words Are Engaging.

Chapter 10. Could You Live Without Words?

Chapter 11. Words At All Hours.

Chapter 12. Words, Present And Future.

Ch.1. Short Overview of the English and Spanish Languages.

The English Language.

English belongs to the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages and is derived from the West Germanic influence.

The primitive inhabitants of Britain were Celtic tribes that arrived there around 500 BC. These were later invaded by the Roman legions and became a part of the Roman Empire.

When this mighty Empire collapsed, the power vacuum was filled to some degree by three Germanic tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes.

The arrival of the Germanic tribes started about the 5th century AD, and this marks the birth of the English language.

However, the first form of English was quite different from what we know today, and is called Old English.

The Old English Period.

It is said to extend from 450 to 1100 AD. These dates must be considered solely as a reference, as the various sources do not quite agree on them. There is a lot of discrepancy about the starting date of this period.

Another interesting fact of this period was the influence of the Danes or Vikings who contributed numerous terms related to law and the ruling s of government. (Danelaw).

Many English words of common usage come from this period and still exist in the language today.

The Middle English Period. (1100-1500).

In this case the various sources are in agreement: this period starts with the invasion and conquest of Britain by the Normans in 1066.

These new rulers brought with them the Norman French language, which predominated among the nobles and ruling class.

The commoners continued to speak their own brand of English, but gradually the two languages merged.

Norman French was basically a Latin language, which accounts for the many words of Latin origin that are still found in the English language today.

It also helps to explain the many similarities with the Spanish language, also derived from Latin.

There are many interesting situations to be found as a result of the historic influence of the Norman rule.

For instances, in matters related to food, the names of the domestic animals, which were looked after by the lower classes, remained rooted in the Old British, while the corresponding foods, which were eaten by the French nobles, use the French expressions. Thus we have: ox and beef, calf and veal, pig and pork, sheep and mutton, hen and poultry.

There are also some pairs of words that have slightly different meanings, one of Anglo Saxon origin while the second one comes from the French. For instance: house and mansion, doom and judgment, hearty and cordial.

The last period in the development of the English language, is called Modern English.

The Modern English Period.

Modern English extends from 1500 to the present, and can be divided into Early Modern English (1500-1800) and Late Modern English (1800 to the present).

Two events influenced Early Modern English, the Renaissance and the introduction of the printing press.

The Renaissance caused many new words to be included into the language, due to the study of the Classics. These words were mainly of Latin and Greek origin.

The printing press contributed to a stabilizing of the spelling and grammar.

Late Modern English was greatly influenced by the Industrial Revolution and the growth of the British Empire, spanning a great extension of the modern world.

The Industrial Revolution introduced the need for many new words to describe the developments in technology, and the British Empire brought about contacts with many other cultures who added some of their words to the language. Examples are: taboo, bungalow, jungle, tea, and boomerang.

The Spanish Language.

Spanish is also considered to be an Indo-European language and is classified as a Romance language, derived