VivaLing Adults: From Salt to Robots - The Stories Behind Our Words B1+

Where Do Everyday English Words Come From? 🤔

Ever wondered why we use the English words we do? Some have fascinating and surprising stories behind them!

Join us as we explore the origins of everyday English words, discover how languages influence each other, and practise the passive voice along the way.

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Creators and Guests

TA

Guest

Tom Ashton

What is The Vivaling English Podcast?

This podcast is designed to give English students extra practice by discussing events, history, culture and language.

Hello, and welcome back to the VivaLing English podcast. Have you ever wondered where everyday English words come from?
English is a fascinating language because it has been influenced by many other languages. Many English words were simply borrowed from other languages, and some have changed their meaning over time.
Today, let's look at four everyday words and discover the stories behind them.
But remember, when we talk about the history of language, we don't always know exactly what happened. Some stories are believed to be true, while others are thought to be popular stories rather than historical facts.
And did you hear it? Are believed and are thought. This is the passive voice. Were going to talk about this, too. We use this tense when we want our focus to be on the object of the sentence, not the subject. So active: I believe some stories are true. And passive: Some stories are believed to be true. Active: I think other stories are just popular and not historical fact. Passive: Other stories are thougth to be popular.
This tense is often used in places such as news reports. “3 people were injured in a shark attack yesterday afternoon” sounds much more serious than, “A shark attack resulted in 3 people with injuries.”
Passive voice structures are also useful when we want to report information without saying exactly who believes, thinks, or says it. We say such things as, “It is believed,” “It is thought,” and “It is said.”
But … back to our 4 words. Listen to the passive voice used when talking about each word and answer my questions at the end.
Let's start with a word that most of us use every day: sandwich.
The word is believed to have been named after John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich, an English nobleman who lived in the 18th century. According to a popular story, the Earl was playing cards and didn't want to leave the table to eat. So, meat was placed between two pieces of bread and brought to him. It is said that other people then asked for "the same as Sandwich," oiver time, the name was connected with this type of food.
The story is not completely believed to be true by historians, but the word certainly became part of the English language.
Our second word is robot. Today, a robot is usually understood to be a machine that can perform tasks automatically. But this word was not originally created in English. It was borrowed from the Czech Republic.
The word was first used in the Czech play R.U.R., written by Karel Čapek in 1920. It is believed that the word was based on the Czech word robota, which means forced work or hard work.
The play was translated into other languages, and the word was eventually adopted by English and many other languages. So, when you use the word robot, you are actually using a word that was introduced to the world through Czech culture.
Now let's look at the word salary. A salary is the money that someone regularly receives for their work. The word comes from the Latin word salarium, which was connected with sal, the Latin word for salt.
Salt was considered extremely valuable in the ancient world. It was used to preserve food and was an important part of everyday life. You may have heard that Roman soldiers were paid in salt and that this is where the word salary comes from.
However, this explanation is now thought to be too simple. The exact connection between salt and payment is still debated. What we do know is that the Latin word salarium was connected with money or payment, and over time its meaning was changed.
Finally, let's look at deadline. Today, a deadline is the time or date when something must be finished, but the word was originally used in a very different way.
In the 19th century, the word deadline was used in American prisons. It referred to a line that prisoners were not allowed to cross. Later, the meaning was changed. The word began to be used for a limit or final point in time.
Today, deadlines are used everywhere — from schools and universities to offices and businesses. So, when your boss says, "The deadline is Friday," you don't need to worry about a prison fence! The meaning of the word has evolved over time.
Now, do you remember?
Who is the word sandwich believed to have been named after?
That’s right! John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich.
Which language was the word robot borrowed from?
You got it, if you said the Czech language.
What was salt used for in ancient times?
Yes, indeed – to pay Roman soldiers.
What did deadline originally refer to?
If you said a line prisoners were not allowed to cross, well done.
These four words show us how language is changed, is borrowed, and is influenced by different cultures. Some stories are believed to be true. Others are thought to be legends. And sometimes, the exact answer is still being debated.
So, the next time you use an ordinary word like sandwich, robot, salary, or deadline, remember that its history might be much more interesting than you think.
Your homework: Choose one English word: assassin, quarantine, ketchup or clue and find the history about the word. Tell it to your VivaLing coach or family member and try to use one sentence in the passive voice.