Sign-In
Cart
English Word Histories: Animals & Insects
Paperback
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jun 17 2023
Pages: 258
Weight: 0.67
Height: 0.54 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
In our modern English language, the names we have given the creatures that share our planet at first seem ad-hoc, whimsical and downright bizarre. Why is that bulbous water dweller called a hippopotamus? And a giraffe? Where did the word dog come from? What about baboon, caribou or butterfly? And what really is a croak, a moo, a neigh or a bark? Some of these words are new arrivals to the English language and others are ancient utterances formed on farms and wild landscapes hundreds of years ago. It turns out that a wide variety of bygone languages have contributed greatly to our modern animal vocabulary, including Old English, Old French, Greek and Latin, as well as the much older Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European tongues. Celtic, Old Norse and indigenous North American words have also played important roles.
Our modern animal words are often simple records of empirical observation, but they're also chock-full of false connections, mistaken identities, erroneous second-hand accounts, religious symbolism, physical attributions, fear of the unknown and fantastic imaginations. Geese were once thought to have hatched from barnacles. Swifts were considered footless. Tortoises were beasts from the underworld and mammoths burrowed in subterranean tunnels. Cheetahs used to be leopards and giraffes were once called camels. The Greeks called the ostrich camel sparrow. Intellectuals once proclaimed that leopards and lions could mate and produce baby mules. Yet however these ideas might baffle and perplex us, their stories, in all their fantastical unrealities, have nonetheless formed the words that we utter today.
English Word Histories: Animals & Insects is a reference of over 300 creature names and general vocabulary used by modern English speakers everyday. It is organized alphabetically in chapters of land animals, wildlife of the water, flying organisms, insects and arachnids, as well as general English vocabulary related to the critters, beasts and bugs of our world.
Also from
Moksvold, Shawn
Also in
Writing Instruction
1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round
Attenberg, Jami
Hardcover
Publication Manual (Official) 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
Paperback
Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Paperback
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus: The Most Powerful Ways to Say Everyday Words and Phrases
Heehler, Tom
Paperback
Blasting Through Blocks: An Artist's Way Guide to Unleashing Your Inner Creativity
Cameron, Julia
Paperback
Paying for College, 2027: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College
Chany, Kalman
Martz, Geoffrey
The Princeton Review
Paperback
The Language of the Night: Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Paperback
Empire of Ink: The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals Who Invented the American Newspaper
Wright, Alex
Hardcover
Libro de caligrafía para adultos: Explorando la belleza de las letras - Mi primer cuaderno de caligrafía creativa
Style, Life Daily
Paperback
Write a Novel in 100 Days: The Busy Writer's Guide to Finishing Your Book Fast
Purcell, Kim
Paperback
The Modern Guide to Querying Literary Agents: From Rejection to Representation in 8 Steps
McDonald, Patrick
Matesic, Alyssa
Paperback
Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft: A Memoir on Writing (Large Print Edition)
Coben, Harlan
Paperback
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition)
Puglisi, Becca
Ackerman, Angela
Paperback
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need
Brody, Jessica
Paperback
Sit Write Here: 6 Mindfulness Practices to Help You Write More and Suffer Less
Dávila, April
Paperback
Verb Your Enthusiasm: How to Master the Art of the Verb and Transform Your Writing
Kaufman, Sarah L.
Hardcover
Publication Manual (Official) 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
Paperback
Page One to Done: Finish Your Novel in 30 Days with the Fast Drafting Method
Brody, Jessica
Paperback
Take It from Me: An Agent's Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch
Habib, Alia Hanna
Hardcover
The Writing Rope: A Framework for Explicit Writing Instruction in All Subjects
Sedita, Joan
Paperback
How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking
Ahrens, Sönke
Paperback
Seberson Method: New Sat(r) Vocabulary Workbook: Over 700 High-Frequency Words to Master
Seberson, Katya
Paperback
Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge from the American Library Association
American Library Association (ALA)
Paperback
AP English Language and Composition Premium, 2027: Prep Book with 8 Practice Tests + Online Practice
Schanhals, Michael
Paperback
Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less (Revised and Updated)
Vandehei, Jim
Allen, Mike
Schwartz, Roy
Hardcover
Princeton Review AP English Language & Composition Premium Prep, 21st Edition: 8 Practice Tests + Digital Practice Online + Content Review
The Princeton Review
Paperback
Publication Manual (Official) 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
Hardcover
AP English Literature and Composition Premium, 2027: Prep Book with 8 Practice Tests + Online Practice
Schanhals, Michael
Paperback
Handwriting Practice Book for Kids Ages 6-8: Printing workbook for Grades 1, 2 & 3, Learn to Trace Alphabet Letters and Numbers 1-100, Sight Words, 10
Lalgudi, Sujatha
Hippidoo
Paperback
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Ninth Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers
Turabian, Kate L.
Paperback
The Vocabulary Builder Workbook: Simple Lessons and Activities to Teach Yourself Over 1,400 Must-Know Words
Lele, Chris
Magoosh
Paperback
Korean Stories for Language Learners: Traditional Folktales in Korean and English (Free Online Audio)
You, Eunsun
Damron, Julie
Paperback
Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition: A Guide to Narrative Craft
Stuckey-French, Ned
Burroway, Janet
Stuckey-French, Elizabeth
Paperback
Scriptnotes: A Book about Screenwriting and Things That Are Interesting to Screenwriters
Mazin, Craig
August, John
Hardcover
The Vocabulary Workbook for 7th Grade: Weekly Activities to Boost Your Word Power
McLellan, Kelly Anne
Paperback
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print
King, Dave
Browne, Renni
Paperback
Princeton Review AP English Literature & Composition Premium Prep, 27th Edition: 6 Practice Tests + Digital Practice Online + Content Review
The Princeton Review
Paperback
Lonely Planet French Phrasebook & Dictionary: Learn Essential Phrases & Vocabulary 3,500 Word Two-Way Dictionary Pull-Out Fast Phrases Card Travel wit
Carillet, Jean-Bernard
Masclef, Jean-Pierre
Janes, Michael
Paperback
Learn Russian with Beginner Stories: Interlinear Russian to English
Gettys, Serafima
Van Den End, Kees
Hyplern, Bermuda Word
Paperback
Print and Cursive Handwriting Workbook: 35 Lessons to Improve Your Penmanship
Sanders, Sally
Paperback
Word Power Made Easy: The Complete Handbook for Building a Superior Vocabulary
Lewis, Norman
Paperback
The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide: Prompts and Activities to Create Compelling Antiheroes, Enemies, and Bad Guys
Apelyan, Dillin
D'Amato, James
Paperback
Thinking Through Writing: A Guide to Becoming a Better Writer and Thinker
Kaag, John
Van Belle, Jonathan
Paperback
Fact & Fiction: How to Write a Novel Inspired by Family and History
Matsumoto, Constance Hays
Paperback
The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry
Laux, Dorianne
Addonizio, Kim
Paperback
Violent Phenomena: Essays Toward the Future of Literary Translation
Bhanot, Kavita
Tiang, Jeremy
Paperback
The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need, Updated Edition: Your One-Stop Source for Mastering English Grammar
Thurman, Susan
Paperback
1100 Words You Need to Know + Online Practice: Build Your Vocabulary in Just 15 Minutes a Day!
Gordon, Melvin
Carriero, Rich
Bromberg, Murray
Paperback
Chinese Writing Practice Book with Pinyin: Tian Zi Ge Notebook: Tian Zi Ge Notebook with Pinyin: Tian Zi Ge
Comtebarcelona
Paperback