Twenty years ago, the following news item probably wouldn’t have made much sense to most Americans.

Muslims in Iran went to the streets today to support an ayatollah①’s call for a revolution. Meanwhile, in Israel, Palestinian leaders urged support for the intifada②, ①leader ②struggle

These words come from Arabic, a language with which few Americans are familiar. Yet by 1990 these words were routinely used in both broadcast and print news. How did these words find their way into English?

Like all existing languages, English is continually changing. The adoption of foreign words into English vocabulary, called borrowing, is anything but a new phenomenon. In fact, it’s been going on from the time the language first began to take shape around A. D. 450. English has been borrowing words from the conquered(被征服者), trading partners, immigrants, and a variety of other sources.

So when the events in the Middle East commanded the world’s attention during the latter part of the twentieth century. English simply borrowed the words it needed to describe what was happening in that area. The more often such words were used, the less “foreign” they sounded. Eventually, these borrowed words came to be used routinely in speech and writing.

Borrowed vocabulary from foreign language is not the only source of new words in English. As fresh ideas evolve and innovative technology are developed, new English words are created to describe them. These words may be words borrowed(WB) from other languages, existing words taking on new meanings(EWNM), acronyms, blends, compounds, or newly coined words, as the following examples and the chart show.

Kwanza

borrowed from Swahili: seven-day African-American cultural festival

rap

old word, meaning to knock quickly, taking on a new meaning; a form of music

AIDS

acronym for acquired immune deficiency syndrome

exercycle

blend of existing words: exercise + bicycle

skateboard

compound of existing words

cellulite

new word for fatty deposits on the hips and legs, coined in 1971

In the next four lessons, you’ll be introduced to some of the history and mechanisms(體系)that have shaped and continued to influence the language we use. Whether the words we speak are borrowed or created, they show a vital feature of English---adaptability. English is alive.

1.What does the word “commanded” in the fourth paragraph probably mean?

A. Ordered B. Instructed

C. Controlled D. Drew

2.The word “mouse” may belong to an example of __________.

A. WB B. EWNM

C. Acronyms D. Blends

3.Where does this text probably come from?

A. A cultural section of a newspaper

B. A language book review

C. A language course advertisement

D. A language lesson book

4.Which of the following can best cover the main idea of the passage?

A. The language in the media is changing

B. English has been borrowing words

C. English is a living language

D. A new phenomenon appears in English

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