Sessions

Etymology and vocabulary in the classroom

When a student finds a group of synonyms in their Japanese-English dictionary they may struggle to decide which is most appropriate to use. A common reason for this is how synonyms often have different root languages in English. With a little awareness of etymology in English we can help our students overcome this barrier to learning and make their vocabulary-building more efficient. This presentation is based on the presenter's background in teaching and classical languages and will highlight the role of etymology in our understanding of word use and provide teachers with advice on how to make our students more etymologically aware. The presenter will give some common examples of synonyms and how their word origin affects their usage and how this can be applied across much of the vocabulary a student will come across. Attendees will not only be able to guide their students to learning vocabulary better but may also develop an awareness of their own classroom English.