1. The following reflection is based on the text “Words: Native and Borrowed” and
it is focused on the main contents covered in it, giving a brief analysis of the
importance of the process of word formation in the English language.
Firstly, the text gives us a detailed and chronological development of the English
language through time. As we all know, languages have changed through the
course of time, given to a natural process of evolution which has made English
the language we are learning nowadays. Changes in the language are reflected in
terms of pronunciation, spelling, usage, grammar, meaning and vocabulary which
is one of the main reasons why some words have become „extinct‟. As we have
seen in many courses at university, especially literature, the transition from Old
English to Middle English and finally to Modern English has made important
changes in the language which are mostly reflected on literature.
Secondly, it is said that there are lot of words in the English language which are
somehow related to other languages, which is explained by processes such as
borrowings, derivations and creations of new words, and this is reality we can
observe even in our university context because most of the time, we tend to
„borrow‟ words which we have heard from a teacher or classmate and then it
becomes part of our vocabulary.
Finally, have to admit that even though we had already seen where the English
language comes from, it was very interesting to read about the Indo-European
language in detail because it gave me a much more complete idea of the origin
of some of the modern languages in the world. I believe it is crucial to know the
history of the language and how it has developed through time for we as future
English teachers are going to show our students a different culture, because a
language is not only related to the language itself but to the whole belonging
culture.
Camila Cuevas Araneda.