English has borrowed words from most of the other languages with which it has had contact. It has taken many expressions from the ancient languages, Latin and Greek, and these borrowings often have academic or literary associations. From French, English has taken lots of words to do with cooking, the arts, and a more sophisticated lifestyle in general. From Italian come words connected with music and the plastic arts. German expressions in English have been coined either by tourists bringing back words for new things they saw or by philosophers or historians describing German concepts or experiences. Words borrowed from other languages often relate to things which English speakers experienced from the first time abroad.
There are borrowings from a wide range of languages. For example, from Japanese, tycoon, karate, origami, judo, futon and bonsai. From Arabic, mattress, cipher, alcove, carafe, algebra, harem and yashmak. From Turkish, yoghurt, jackal, kiosk, tulip and caftan;from Farsi, caravan, shawl, bazaar and sherbet, and from Eskimo, kayak, igloo and anorak.
1. Match the adjectives on the left with the noun they are most likely to be associated with, on the right.
| a kindergarten b casino ñ vendetta d embargo e cuisine f psychology g yoghurt h coup i tattoo j duvet |
1 military
2 strawberry
3 pop
4 Chinese
5 ankle
6 total
7 long-standing
8 noisy
9 double
10 all-night
2. What verbs collocate, in other words, are frequently used with the following nouns?
example study algebra
karate futon guerrilla coup siesta
kayak embargo cul-de-sac confetti cruise seminar sauna
3. Give three nouns likely to follow macho and avant-garde.
4. Find the odd one out. Explain why it's different.
Example: embargo yacht ski snorkel
- the others relate to sport while embargo is a political and economic act
1 hippopotamus tycoon jackal lemming
2 ballerina judo soprano waltz
3 fjord patio steppe tundra
4 marmalade dachshund poodle rottweiler
5 bazaar boutique sauna kiosk
5. Put the words given below the table into the appropriate category:
anorak aubergine caftan coup cuisine gateau ghetto guerilla yashmak yoghurt
| Food | Clothes and materials | Society |
| bistro |
6. Choose a word that fits in each phrase.
avant-garde chauffeur confetti crèche cruise fiasco karate siesta cul de sac
Example: Einstein's …. theory... of relativity
1 to go on a luxury.......................... …………….
2 to leave the baby in a.................... …………….
3 to have a….................................... after lunch
4 to live in a quiet................. ……………….
5 to take up........................... ………..…
6 to throw..................... ……………..
7 to employ a................ …………..
8 the evening was a…………….
9 ………….…….art.
7. Complete the table with synonyms.
| Native | French | Greek/Latin |
| to ask | to interrogate | |
| stomach | abdomen | |
| to gather | to collect | |
| devoid | vacuous | |
| to end | to finish | |
| to mount | to ascend | |
| teaching | guidance |