Community service for teachers, journalists and students

From BRUCE COPELAND

 

Dear friends,

 

It would be useful if Papua New Guinea students and teachers learned the derivation of words based on Latin and Greek roots. Combine these with an understanding of prefixes and suffixes and there is access for all to hundreds of words.

We are long distant members of the Roman Empire that brought Latin to England, France, Italy and Spain. Then Normans came to England and

brought French words based on Latin. So English double-dipped into Latin. Australians brought English to PNG.

Let us explore a selection of Latin roots. We have a new way of looking at English. There are not just thousands of words. There are dozens of word groupings.

It would be good if the roots of words were returned to the class room. Students would enter a new world of language.

 

Ago (actus) – I do.

 

agent, act, actor, react, reagent, agile,

 

Ameas (amat) – Love, happy

 

amorous, amicable, amamas (tok pisin), amour (French) amo (Italian), amiable.

 

Aves –the birds

 

Aviation, aviary,

 

Cado ( cassus) – I fall

 

accident, cadence, cascade, decay, decadent, decadence.

 

Capio (captus) – I take

 

Capture, captive, captivate, escape, captivity

 

Caput – the head.

 

Cap, captain (English), Kapitano (Italian), Kapitain (Spanish)

capital, caption, decapitate, recapitulate.

 

Cedo (cessus)  - I go

 

Proceed, procession, recede, recession, concede, concession

intercede, intercession, cede, cession, precede, precedent.

 

Centum – a hundred

 

Century, cent, centurion,

 

Cor – the heart

 

Cordial, core, Coeur (French), courage, courageous, courtesy,

Sacre Coeur ( French Catholic)  Cor blimey ( English slang)

 

Corpus – the body

 

Corporal, corpse, corpulent, corporation. Corps, Corpus Christi

(Italian)

 

Curro (cursus) – I run

 

Current, incur, incursion, recur, recurrent, course, cursory, cursive

discourse,

 

Decius – ten

 

Decimal, decimate, decade,    

 

Dens (dentis) – a tooth

 

Dentine, dentist, dental, denture, indent, indentation

 

Dico ( dictus) – I say

 

Predict, prediction, indict, indictment, diction, indicate,

indication, dicta-phone, dictionary,

 

Duco (ductus) – I lead

 

Duct, viaduct, oviduct, conduct, conductor, conduction

Duce ( Italian), reduce, reduction, deduce, deduction,

produce, product, production, introduce, introduction.

 

Facio ( factus) – I make

 

Factory, manufacture, facile,  

 

Fero ( latus)  - I bear

 

Refer, transfer, confer, reference, conference, relate,

translate, translation, collate

 

 

Finis – the end

 

Finish, pinis (tok pisin), finite, infinite, final, finality

 

Flecto (flectus) I bend

 

Flexible, inflexible, reflect, reflection, deflect, deflection.

flex, inflexion. reflex

 

Fort (fortus) – strong

 

Fort, fortitude, fortissimo ( Italian),  Codral Forte

 

Frango ( fractus) – I break

 

Fragile, fraction, fracture, fragment

 

Fundo (fundus) – I pour

 

Fund, funnel, profound, refund

 

Ge –the earth

 

Geology, geography, geophysical,

 

Gradior – a slope

 

Grade, gradual, gradient, gradually, degrade,

 

Homeo – the same

 

Homo sapiens, homophobia, homosexual, homogeneous

 

Jacio (jectus) – I throw

 

Inject, injection, project, projection, projector, reject, rejection

eject, ejection, ejaculate, deject, conjecture, interject, interjection,

 

Legis – law

 

Legal, illegal, legislate, legislation, litigation  

 

Lego (lectus) - I gather

 

Lecture, college, religion, lecturn, collect, collection

 

Manus – the hand

 

Manual, manuscript, manage, management

 

Mater – a mother

 

Maternal, matron, ma’am, mama,

 

Pars (partus) – a part

 

Part, particle, particular, partition, participate, apartment, compartment, repartee.

 

Pater – a father

 

Papa, paternal, patron, pastor,

 

Pleo – I fill

 

Complement, implement, implementation, supplement

 

Plico – I fold

 

Application, apply, reply, imply

 

Porto (portus)  - I carry

 

Port, report, transport, transportation, import, importation,

export, exportation, deport, deportation, deportee, important.

 

Premo (pressus) – I press

 

Press, pressure, express, depress, impresario (Italian) supreme,

 

Rex (regis) – a rule

 

Regal, vice-regal,  tyrannosaurus rex

 

Pono (possus)  - I place

 

Postpone, opponent, expose, impose, repose, depose, deposit,

composite, composition,          

 

Scando (scandus) – I climb

 

Ascend, ascent, descend, descend, scandal

 

Secto (cidus)_ - I cut or kill

 

Dissect, dissection, bisect, intersect, intersection, suicide,

genocide, insecticide, spermacide, resection, section, sector,

 

Scribo ( scriptus) – I write

 

Describe, description, inscribe, inscription, conscription, scribe

scripture, scribble, prescribe, prescription,

 

Specio (spectus) I see

 

Special, specialty, inspect, inspection, respect, spectacles, species,

introspect, introspection

 

Tenio (tendus) – I hold

 

Tender, tendon, extend, intend, intention, contend, contention,

pretend, pretension, portend, tension,   

 

Video (vissus) – I see

 

Video player, DVD, vision, visible, invisible,

 

Venio – I come

 

Venture, convene, convention, invent, convent, veni-vidi-vinci

(I came- I saw- I conquered)

 

Verto (versus) – I turn

 

Revert, reverse, inverse, converse, convert, conversion, versus

 

Vinco -_I conquer

 

Convince, vanquish, invincible, HMS Invincible.

 

Volvo (volvus) – I roll

 

Revolve, revolver, Volvo car, involve, revolution, convolution,

convolvulus (flower)

 

If you are interested in words, please keep these on your computer and run your eye down the list from time to time. I learned these words from Grades 7-12 from 1958 to 1963. I will never forget. 

 

Regards,

 

Bruce Copeland BA BEdSt 

Teacher of English in PNG