首页
登录
职称英语
Most new words are made up from other, earlier words; language-making is a c
Most new words are made up from other, earlier words; language-making is a c
游客
2025-04-06
21
管理
问题
Most new words are made up from other, earlier words; language-making is a conservative process, wasting little. When new words unfold out of old ones, the original meaning usually hangs around like an unrecognizable scent, a sort of secret.
There are two immense words from Indo-European, gene and bheu, each a virtual anthill in itself, from which we have constructed the notion of everything. At the beginning or as far back as they are traceable, they meant something like being. Gene signified beginning, giving birth, while bheu indicated existence and growth. Gene turned itself successively into kund jaz(Germanic)and gecynd(Old English), meaning kin or kind. Kind was at first a family connection, later an elevated social rank, and finally came to rest meaning kindly or gentle. Meanwhile, a branch of gene became the Latin gens which emerged as genus, genius, genital, and generous; then still holding on to its inner significance it became "nature"(out of gnasci).
While gene was evolving into " nasture" and " kind" bheu was moving through similar transformations. One branch became the English word "build". It also moved into Greek, as phuein, meaning to bring forth and make grow; then as phusis, which was another word for nature. Phusis became the source of physic which at first meant natural science and later was the word for medicine. Still later, physic became physics.
Both words, at today’s stage of their evolution, can be taken together to mean, literally, everything in the universe. You do not come by words like this easily; they cannot just be made up from scratch. They need long lives before they can signify. "Everything," C. S. Lewis observed in a discussion of the words, "is a subject on which there is not much to be said. " The words themselves must show the internal marks of long use; they must contain their own inner conversation. [br] The passage is mainly concerned with______.
选项
A、how to coin new words
B、where to trace the origin of language
C、the evolution of words
D、language and nature
答案
C
解析
本文通过两个单词gene和bheu介绍了单词的演化过程。选项C正确。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/4029172.html
相关试题推荐
Mostnewwordsaremadeupfromother,earlierwords;language-makingisac
Hiseighthbookcameoutearlierthisyearandwasa(n)______bestseller.(2010年四
Europe’searlierindustrialgrowthwas______bytheavailabilityofkeyresources
TheSecondWorldWar,______theearlieroneof1914,promptedpublicconcernabou
Hiseighthbookcameoutearlierthisyearandwasa(n)______bestseller.(四川大学201
TheSantaAnaappealscourtupheldanearlierjuryverdictawarding$3.2mi
TheSantaAnaappealscourtupheldanearlierjuryverdictawarding$3.2mi
TheSantaAnaappealscourtupheldanearlierjuryverdictawarding$3.2mi
TheSantaAnaappealscourtupheldanearlierjuryverdictawarding$3.2mi
WoodyAllen,inearlier,funnierdays,toldajokeabouttwowomeninaresor
随机试题
Advertisingcostsarenolongerinreasonable______tototalcostoftheproduc
Iraqilawmakersareexpectedtovoteonthe【D1】______agreementbyWednesday,
A.钙 B.磷 C.钾 D.钠 E.钠和氯 H.N所有细胞中的核酸组成
维生素A缺乏时,可能出现的症状包括( )。A.脂溢性皮炎 B.皮下出血点
某美元基金投资境内未上市企业,可以采用的退出方式是()。 Ⅰ.境内企业
HighTower是一家占用几栋办公楼的公司,它正在考虑在它所有的建筑内都安装
引起法律关系产生、变更或消灭,与参加者意志无关的法律事实称为( )A、行为 B
因含麻黄,高血压病、心脏病者慎用的中成药是A.止嗽定喘口服液 B.降气定喘丸
该厂在销毁会计档案时,下列表述中正确的是()。A、销毁会计档案时,应报单位负责人
【教材变动】按照《通用安装工程工程量计算规范》(GB50856—2013),措施
最新回复
(
0
)