The Secret Lives of Words
In this course students will learn to use the Oxford English Dictionary to trace the origins of English words from their Proto-Indo-European roots to their modern English meanings, examining how cultural demands, conflict, gender, and the historical movements of peoples affect, and are affected by, words. In addition we will explore the politics of lexicography. Students will learn to identify the Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes of English words, and will be introduced to common shifts in word formation as words are absorbed into English from other languages.