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linguaphiles2009-05-16 10:15 am
pilcrow) wrote in linguaphiles2009-05-16 10:15 am
Etymology references for kids?
(crossposted from the LiveJournal community)
My nephew, who turns seven next month and is more than a bit clever (he could flawlessly narrate the story of Beowulf aged five and a half -- I hasten to add that he had read a graphic-novel version, not the original Anglo-Saxon), has become interested in the etymologies of common American English words and phrases -- e.g. "thank you." He reads fluently, but not well enough to decipher the etymologies in the online OED. If anyone could point me to resources for a kid who can read chapter books independently, but isn't quite up to Swann's Way, I'd be grateful.
My nephew, who turns seven next month and is more than a bit clever (he could flawlessly narrate the story of Beowulf aged five and a half -- I hasten to add that he had read a graphic-novel version, not the original Anglo-Saxon), has become interested in the etymologies of common American English words and phrases -- e.g. "thank you." He reads fluently, but not well enough to decipher the etymologies in the online OED. If anyone could point me to resources for a kid who can read chapter books independently, but isn't quite up to Swann's Way, I'd be grateful.
no subject
There's also Weird Wide Words, which isn't really about common words, but explains the meaning and etymology in a way that's easier to understand (and in a more personable manner) than a normal dictionary.