Introduction to the Etymology of the English Language

This book has been designed primarily for Turkish students of English etymology and of the English language. Teaching the English language in Turkey by conventional methods generally aims at teaching the grammar and syntax of the language, and it does not include vocabulary teaching. The present book is devised primarily to make up this deficiency and expand the learners' vocabulary. People who have learned the basic grammatical rules of a foreign language feel that they cannot express what they have in mind in a satisfactory way. The need to use more and and more words soon makes itself evident. Knowledge of etymology is the only method to achieve the purpose because it is the method for assimilating the semantic content of the word elements. In this book special importance has been attached to terms with a cultural content, terms used in serious writing. Because learners of English will come across such terms in several disciplines. Knowledge of etymology does not provide solely a larger vocabulary but also offers entertainment. Words exposed to semantic changes throughout their history often afford pleasure. Etymology is an intellectual interest, hence its purpose cannot be reduced to vocabulary teaching, and every educated person is expected to have some familiarity with it.