ACCENTS: Ways of speaking which can reveal places or origin and, sometimes, educational and social status. Inflection, tone and choice of words usually characterize accents. Sample Question: What song by George and Ira Gershwin suggests that important decisions are often made based upon how a person pronounces words like 'tomato' and 'potato'? Answer: "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" ACRONYMS: A pronounceable word formed from the initial letter or letters of a series of words or from the major parts of compound terms. Sample Question: What act of Congress gave U.S. citizens better access to government documents and other information and is known by the acronym FOIA? Answer: Freedom Of Information Act AMERICANISMS: Words, phrases or expressions peculiar to American English. Sample Question: What form of entertainment contributed these American idioms to the English language: anti-up, call their bluff, stack the deck? Answer: card games - especially poker AUSTRALIANISMS: Words, phrases or expressions peculiar to Australian English. Sample Question: In Australia, what is a 'snob'? a. a sports team captain with a winning record b. a cobbler or shoemaker c. an acronym for sneaky old bloke Answer: b. a cobbler or shoemaker BORROWED WORDS: Words adopted from other languages intact or with varying alterations in spelling, pronunciation, and, sometimes, meaning. Sample Question In 1579, was 'china', the generic name for the Chinese porcelain that characterizes chinaware, borrowed from Chinese, Portuguese, or Persian? Answer: Persian BRITICISMS: Words, phrases or expressions peculiar to British English Sample Question In Britain, is a 'clinker' something that is first rate, a flop, or a fist-size rock? Answer: something that is first rate CALQUES: Words, phrases or expressions formed from the direct translation of the words, phrases or expressions of other languages. Sample Question: In the late 20th century, what English term was borrowed into German where it is spelled f-r-i-e-d-l-i-c-h-e K-o-e-x-i-s-t-e-n-z? Answer: peaceful (or friendly) coexistence CANADIANISMS: Words, phrases or expressions peculiar to Canadian English. Sample Question: What does a Canadian mean when he says, "I booked off today"? a. he told his employer he's not reporting for work b. he did not place bets with his bookie c. he succumbed to a reading frenzy at a library Answer: a. he told his employer he's not reporting for work DINOSAUR WORDS Words whose use or original meanings are obsolete or considered archaic. Sample Question: Which of these doublets cover the original 14th century meaning of the 'fell' in the phrase 'in one fell swoop'? a. fierce, deadly b. gentle, easy c. fast, quick Answer: a. fierce, deadly EPONYMS: Words which are, or are believed to be, derived from names of persons, places, or things. Sample Question: What radioactive element is named after the planet Uranus? Answer: uranium EUPHEMISMS: Agreeable or inoffensive words, phrases or expressions which are substituted for those thought disagreeable and offensive for the purpose of avoiding harsh or distasteful realities. Sample Question: What is a clearer and more direct way of wording a sign that says, "Do Not Expectorate"? Answer: "Don't Spit" GENERAL QUESTIONS: Questions outside the standard categories of Bethump'd with Words®, but which, in some way, are relevant to the origins, history or evolution of English. Sample Question: If there are about 184,000 words in the common, non-scientific vocabulary of German and 615,000 in English, does French have more than 930,000, about 500,000, or less than 100,000? Answer: less than 100,000 GLOBAL ENGLISH: Questions that pertain to the history, causes, impact, and status of English as a global language. Sample Question: In what year did Frenchman Roland de la Platiere predict that American English would one day become the world language? 1789, 1889, or 1989? Answer: 1789 - De la Platiere became minister of France after the French Revolution and had earlier predicted that American English would one day replace French as the world language much to the consternation of some French and British. GRAMMAR: The system of rules that defines the communicative structure of a language, that is, its characteristic system of inflections and syntax. Sample Question: Which shows less variation, written English or spoken English? Answer: written English - which, when compared to spoken English, usually does not reveal dialectical and related speech patterns, and is done in a formal style that lies within the constraints of learned rules of grammar. HISTORY: Historical highlights and milestones from the story of English. Sample Question: In 1961, Congress passed a resolution identifying Samuel Wilson, the military's beef supplier during the War of 1812, as the namesake of what character who symbolizes the United States and the American people? Answer: Uncle Sam HOLORIMIC PHRASES: Phrases or expressions which are heard when phrases or expressions comprised of entirely different words are spoken. Sample Question: What different phrase might be heard when someone shouts "Ice cream"? Answer: "I scream" HOMOGRAPHS: Two or more words which are spelled the same, but differ in pronunciation, meaning and, often, origin. Sample Question: Identify and spell the homographs defined as: a. a fluid dressing that adds zest to food b. impudent language, back-talk Answer: s-a-u-c-e / s-a-u-c-e HOMONYMS: Two or more words which are spelled and pronounced the same, but differ in meaning and, often, origin. Sample Question: What single, slang-type word is often used with such diverse meanings as bag, bed, dismissal, plunder, tackle, and white wine? Answer: sack HOMOPHONES: Two or more words which are pronounced the same, but differ in spelling, meaning and, often, origin. Sample Question: When the butcher's meat scale blew its fuses, she sighed, looked at her impatient customer, and said, "I'm sorry, mister, but you'll just have to _____ a few minutes for the _____." Answer: wait/weight IDIOMS: Expressions whose meanings cannot be determined from the literal interpretation or the combined meanings of their words. Sample Question: Idiomatically speaking, is a 'four-flusher' an inefficient loo, a bluffer, or an extremely embarrassing incident? Answer: a bluffer - the term came from the poker players who continue to bet while holding four cards of the same suit despite knowing that five are needed to win JARGON: The specialized, obscure and often pretentious, language of a trade, profession, or other group. Sample Question: In the culinary lingo of hunters, what meat is known as 'high speed beef'? Answer: venison LETTER WORDS: Words derived from the letters, usually the first letters, of other words but which are pronounced by their letters. Sample Question: What do economists mean when they use the letter word GNP? Answer: Gross National Product LINGUISTICS: The study of human speech including the units, nature, structure, and modification of the language. Sample Question: What do linguists call 'words that are coined expressly for one occasion or use', such as 'Excaliburgers', the name given to hamburgers sold at a site associated with legendary King Arthur in Cornwall, England? a. nonce words b. nosh words c. singlets Answer: a. nonce words NAMES / NICKNAMES: Names are distinctive designations of persons, places, or things; nicknames are alternate names that are usually descriptive and used instead of or in addition to proper names. Sample Question: What is the origin of football commentator Pat Summerall's first name? a. it's a shortened form of Patricia b. it's an allusion to his characteristically 'pat' responses to controversial plays c. it's an acronym for points after touchdown Answer: c. it's an acronym for points after touchdown. Born George Allan Summerall, "Pat" was given the nickname when he played professional football and kicked points after touchdown. PHONETICS: The system of speech sounds of a language or group of languages; the study of the systematic classification of the sounds made in spoken utterance. Sample Question: Phonetically speaking, what is held in common by the words 'knock', 'gnat', and 'wreath'? Answer: the first letter of each is silent PIDGINS & CREOLES: Pidgins are simplified forms of speech used for communication between people who speak different languages; Creoles are advanced pidgins or languages that have evolved from pidgins and which, usually, serve as the native languages of individual speech communities. Sample Question: In the Malay language, which uses reduplicatives to express plurality, if 'budak' means 'child' what term is used to mean 'children'? Answer: budak-budak PORTMANTEAU WORDS: Words derived from the blending of two or more different words. Sample Question: In June 1997, what word that is a blend of the words 'racism' and 'erase' was used by President Bill Clinton at the University of California in San Diego in a commencement address devoted to the status of race in America? Answer: eracism QUOTATIONS: Phrases, expressions, or statements relevant to the origins, history and/or evolution of English. Sample Question: In 1995, which of these politicians declared: "We must stop the practice of multilingual education as a means of instilling ethnic pride..."? a. Jesse Helms b. Robert Dole c. Newt Gingrich Answer: b. Robert Dole, presidential candidate, in a Labor Day address at the American Legion convention SEXIST ENGLISH: Questions related to the historical male-gender biases of English. Sample Question: In English's historical gender-biased usages, what was usually the gender of the person who was described as 'the strong silent type, a person of few words'? Answer: male SLANG: Colloquial words or expressions derived from coinings or the arbitrary alteration of other words or expressions, and whose usual purpose is to belittle, exaggerate or make humorous. Sample Question: In 1970, which of these terms was coined and defined as 'something that tastes disgusting': yucky, ugsome, or roadkill? Answer: yucky SPOONERISMS: Phrases or sentences comprised of misplaced or transposed letters, syllables and/or whole words. Sample Question: What did William Spooner really mean to say when he blurted the phrase: "it's kisstomary to cuss the bride"? Answer: "it's customary to kiss the bride" TRUE OR FALSE: Questions with 50:50 probability. Sample Question: In 1844, the 'goatee' was so-named because it resembles the beard of a ram. Answer: False - it was so-named because it resembles the beard of a buck, a male goat. (A ram is a male sheep) WORD EVOLUTIONS: The historical changes in the spellings, pronunciations and/or meanings of words. Sample Question: In the 16th century, what word was defined as 'to pierce with a sword' and now means 'to experience a sudden sharp feeling of excitement'? Answer: thrill WORD ORIGINS: Questions on the etymological roots of words. Sample Question: What country's name came from the Latin term 'Terra Australis', which means 'the southern land'? Answer: Australia's |