Longman Common English Word Roots Dictionary

Author: Walker
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2000-08-01
Features: This dictionary is organized based on commonly used roots in modern English, featuring a series of derivative words. It meticulously dissects each root and its components, enabling you to learn and memorize groups of words through understanding, thereby significantly improving your English proficiency. This dictionary is suitable for high school and university students, English teachers, translators, and all individuals committed to learning and advancing their English skills. Roots are the earliest forms of words and the foundation of word construction. Many English roots originate from Latin and Greek, with their meanings evolving through various extensions, forming extensive word families. This dictionary organizes derivative words based on commonly used roots in modern English, providing in-depth analysis of each root and its components, allowing you to learn and memorize word groups through comprehension, greatly enhancing your ability to apply English. Key Features of the Dictionary:
- Includes 110 commonly used English roots, arranged in alphabetical order.
- Each root lists derivative words, with nearly 2,000 entries in total.
- Each derivative word includes example sentences and translations.
- Appendices list Latin and Greek prefixes and suffixes commonly used in modern English, with example words.
- An appendix includes commonly used Latin abbreviations and phrases, as well as Latin and Greek plural forms, with example sentences and translations for reference.
- Each derivative word is marked with both K.K. phonetic symbols (preceded) and IPA phonetic symbols (followed), displaying American and British pronunciations.
- The dictionary includes roots derived from Latin and Greek, arranged in alphabetical order, which are crucial for expanding English vocabulary.
- The editor hopes that English learners recognize the importance of roots while studying them, using them as a means to expand and reinforce their vocabulary.
- The dictionary does not list all Latin and Greek roots but focuses on those commonly used in English writing and conversation.
- It should be noted that certain roots listed in this dictionary are more accurately described as prefixes or morphological components. However, due to their widespread use, they are included alongside roots and their derivatives.
- The purpose of this dictionary is not to replace contemporary popular dictionaries but to inspire readers and enhance their understanding of the history and development of English word formation.
- Each root included in the dictionary consists of the following parts:
1) Derivative words arranged in alphabetical order.
2) Phonetic notation for each derivative word (K.K. symbols first, followed by IPA symbols).
3) Part of speech for each derivative word.
4) Etymology and definition of the entry (prefix and root).
5) Example sentences illustrating the usage of derivative words (the derivative words are printed in bold).
- The appendices after the main text list prefixes and suffixes for reference. These are familiar to English learners. Additionally, Latin abbreviations and phrases are included, which readers are likely to encounter in written English.
- The dictionary also includes a list of commonly used English plural nouns formed from Latin or Greek plural suffixes.
Development of the English Language
Contemporary English is a hybrid language shaped by the influence of the Indo-European language family. Ancient Greek and Latin had the most significant impact on its development. However, any interpretation of a language cannot be divorced from the historical evolution of its society in terms of ideology, morality, ethnicity, philosophy, economy, and politics. Therefore, the history of the English language must focus on ancient Greece and Rome, particularly the regions along the Mediterranean coast and the emerging nations of the European continent.
It is commonly believed that Western literature and history, as recorded in writing, originated with Homer’s epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, which were composed around the 8th century BCE. These epics combine imaginative elements with historical accounts, narrating the thrilling stories of the Trojan War, which took place around 1250 BCE. These stories originated from oral traditions and were closely linked to early philosophical and educational thought. The founders of Western philosophy—Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics—were also the pioneers of rhetoric, logic, and linguistics. Their teachings also nurtured phonetics, grammar, and etymology.
The history of language development was once considered a science, and the term "etymology" means constructing and studying words from the perspective of linguistic evolution. By the 2nd century BCE, the widespread use of Latin in the Mediterranean region, as part of the Roman Empire, significantly accelerated language development. Building on the understanding and exploration of predecessors, scholars continued to study the evolution and transformation of everyday vocabulary. Their work spanned centuries, lasting until the Middle Ages, laying the foundation for Latin and Greek word formation, which is considered a key condition for the spread of English.
Over two and a half millennia later, speakers of English today should still be grateful to these diligent scholars, who made tremendous contributions to the development of this rich, fascinating language. They were the scientists and philosophers of spoken language and written text. A timeline of language development would show that Latin is also the ancestor of several modern languages still in use today: Spanish, Romanian, Proven?al, Portuguese, Italian, French, and Catalan. Therefore, learning the roots that form English words not only helps students master and expand their vocabulary but also provides them with basic knowledge of other Romance languages.