Culture and language are closely related, so is it possible to understand one from knowing the other?
This is a curiosity that dates back over 1000 years to the Norman invasion in 1066. In those times meat was an expensive product, eaten by the Norman lords, but raised by the poorer Saxon farmers. Obviously the Saxons used their words for the animal whereas the Normans used a Norman/ French words for the finished product, the meat. We still use these words today, as can be seen by this list:
This is a curiosity that dates back over 1000 years to the Norman invasion in 1066. In those times meat was an expensive product, eaten by the Norman lords, but raised by the poorer Saxon farmers. Obviously the Saxons used their words for the animal whereas the Normans used a Norman/ French words for the finished product, the meat. We still use these words today, as can be seen by this list:
| Anglo-Saxon Origin Words Cow (Old English Cū) Calf (Old English Cealf) Swine (Old English Swīn) Sheep (Old English Scēap) / Lamb (Old English Lamb) Hen (Old English Hen, Henn) / Chicken (Old English Cicen) Deer (Old English Dēor) Snail (Old English Snægl) | Old French Origin Words Beef (Anglo-Norman Beof; Old French Boef) Veal (Anglo-Norman Vel; Old French Veel, Veal) Pork (Old French Porc) Mutton (Old French Moton) Poultry (Old French Pouletrie) Venison (Old Norman Venesoun) Escargot (Old Norman Escargot) |
So, yes looking at the origins of words can tell us something of the history and culture of that language.
RSS Feed
