Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries: English Words That Come From Spanish
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.31 (952 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0618910549 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 240 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-06-22 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
From Booklist Noting that Spanish is the second most common language spoken in the U.S., the editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries have compiled a small volume about English words derived from the Spanish. --Barbara Bibel . Readers will enjoy learning about the origins of these words, from abalone to zocalo, with stopovers for the expression moment of truth and potato. The book also has a glossary of linguistic terms and a bibliography of quotation sources. They define each word and explain its history and journey into the English langu
Most people know that words like burrito and quesadilla come from Spanish, but there are many more English words that we would never suspect are Spanish until we look closely. Of course, the book digs into the many words for different foods that come from Spanish—not only the obvious ones, such as salsa and taco, but also potato, tomato, caramel, vanilla, and, most important, chocolate. Every sphere of English vocabulary has been enriched by Spanish, from names for animals—alligator, coyote, and mosquito—to words for weather—hurricane and tornado. Did you know that the words breeze and hammock come from Spanish? The jerky in beef jerky, for example, is from Spanish charquí, and the English verb vamoose is from the expression ?Vamos! which means Let’s go! in Spanish.Spanish Word Histories and Mysteries: English Words that Come from Spanish tells the fascinating stories behind 200 English words from Spanish. This book also explores the Spanish origin of some of the colorful expressions of the Old West: bonanza, loco, mustang, ranch, and ten-gallon hat. Photographs and line drawings enliven the pages and illustrate the history of the words.
The Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries are a team of professional lexicographers with advanced degrees in various scholarly fields. The editors familiarize themselves with the vocabulary in specific subject areas, collect materials on new developments and usage, and work with expert consultants to ensure that our publications are accurate and up-to-date.
"Great for any reader -- even bilingual speakers of Spanish and English" according to Thomas Anderson. I could not disagree more with the reviewer who states that this "book is too basic for bilingual Spanish-English speakersoverall fluent Spanish speakers will find little of interest. Instead, it's a very good book for beginner Spanish speakers who want to know more about the language." I have been a professor of Spanish and Latin American Literature for over ten years and am perfectly bilingual and find this book to be very interesting and entertaining. There are many w. A book that delivers, but only for some M. Tamayo I originally bought this book to give to a bilingual friend who is interested in language and word origins. The book is well written, informative and entertaining. However, when I started going through it, I realized that the book is too basic for bilingual Spanish-English speakers. There are a few surprises (barrio has an Arabic origin!) but overall fluent Spanish speakers will find little of interest. Instead, it's a very good book for beginner Spanish speakers who wan. How did out get here? This is very interesting and an easy and fast read.How do words evolve and come forward.As a Spanish teacher it was more interesting for me .