A Brief History of the English Language and Literature Part 9

Protege.

Recherche.

Seance.

Soiree.

Trousseau.

The Scotch have always had a closer connection with the French nation than England; and hence we find in the Scottish dialect of English a number of French words that are not used in South Britain at all. A leg of mutton is called in Scotland a +gigot+; the dish on which it is laid is an +ashet+ (from _a.s.siette_); a cup for tea or for wine is a +ta.s.sie+ (from _ta.s.se_); the gate of a town is called the +port+; and a stubborn person is +dour+ (Fr. _dur_, from Lat. _durus_); while a gentle and amiable person is +douce+ (Fr. _douce_, Lat. _dulcis_).

[Footnote 15: _Gout_ (goo) from Latin _gustus_, taste.]

7. +German Words.+-- It must not be forgotten that English is a Low-German dialect, while the German of books is New High-German. We have never borrowed directly from High-German, because we have never needed to borrow. Those modern German words that have come into our language in recent times are chiefly the names of minerals, with a few striking exceptions, such as +loafer+, which came to us from the German immigrants to the United States, and +plunder+, which seems to have been brought from Germany by English soldiers who had served under Gustavus Adolphus. The following are the German words which we have received in recent times:--

Cobalt.

Felspar.

Hornblende.

Landgrave.

Loafer.

Margrave.

Meerschaum.

Nickel.

Plunder.

Poodle.

Quartz.

Zinc.

8. +Hebrew Words.+-- These, with very few exceptions, have come to us from the translation of the Bible, which is now in use in our homes and churches. +Abbot+ and +abbey+ come from the Hebrew word +abba+, father; and such words as +cabal+ and +Talmud+, though not found in the Old Testament, have been contributed by Jewish literature. The following is a tolerably complete list:--

Abbey.

Abbot.

Amen.

Behemoth.

Cabal.

Cherub.

Cinnamon.

Hallelujah.

Hosannah.

Jehovah.

Jubilee.

Gehenna.

Leviathan.

Manna.

Paschal.

Pharisee.

Pharisaical.

Rabbi.

Sabbath.

Sadducees.

Satan.

Seraph.

s.h.i.+bboleth.

Talmud.

9. +Other Foreign Words.+-- The English have always been the greatest travellers in the world; and our sailors always the most daring, intelligent, and enterprising. There is hardly a port or a country in the world into which an English s.h.i.+p has not penetrated; and our commerce has now been maintained for centuries with every people on the face of the globe. We exchange goods with almost every nation and tribe under the sun. When we import articles or produce from abroad, we in general import the native name along with the thing. Hence it is that we have +guano+, +maize+, and +tomato+ from the two Americas; +coffee+, +cotton+, and +tamarind+ from Arabia; +tea+, +congou+, and +nankeen+ from China; +calico+, +chintz+, and +rupee+ from Hindostan; +bamboo+, +gamboge+, and +sago+ from the Malay Peninsula; +lemon+, +musk+, and +orange+ from Persia; +boomerang+ and +kangaroo+ from Australia; +chibouk+, +ottoman+, and +tulip+ from Turkey. The following are lists of these foreign words; and they are worth examining with the greatest minuteness:--

AFRICAN DIALECTS.

Baobab.

Canary.

Chimpanzee.

Gnu.

Gorilla.

Guinea.

Karoo.

Kraal.

Oasis.

Quagga.

Zebra.

AMERICAN TONGUES.

Alpaca.

Buccaneer.

Cacique.

Cannibal.

Canoe.

Caoutchouc.

Cayman.

Chocolate.

Condor.

Guano.

Hammock.

Jaguar.

Jalap.

Jerked (beef).

Llama.

Mahogany.

Maize.

Manioc.

Moccasin.

Mustang.

Opossum.

Pampas.

Pemmican.

Potato.

Rac.o.o.n.

Skunk.

Squaw.

Tapioca.

Tobacco.

Tomahawk.