Intermediate
60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+65 XP

Words That Travelled Here

Explore the origins of common English words such as anorak, pyjamas, bungalow and ketchup that travelled from other languages. Investigate word pairs and map Asia-linked borrowed terms to their source regions, with anorak as the Arctic contrast.

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    1 - English Words That Started Elsewhere ~5 mins

    You already know the words anorak, pyjamas, bungalow and ketchup. They sound like ordinary English, but none of them started life as English words.

    Today we investigate how words travel. We will notice everyday English words that came from far away, tell apart words that really match and words that only look the same, and put some borrowed words back near the places they began.

    By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

    • Spot that everyday English words often came from far away
    • Tell apart words that really match and words that only look the same
    • Put a borrowed word back on the map near where it began

    2 - Same Family or Different Word ~12 mins

    Technology words also travel. Some look related; some mean the same thing with a different shape.

    Key point

    Watch each pair. Show hands: same family, same idea but different word, or not sure?

    Tip

    No stress if you change your mind: detectives do that. You do not need to learn the foreign spellings.

    3 - Put the Words Back on the Map ~12 mins

    Watch the Asia map on the board. Look at today's borrowed words from the start of the lesson.

    Key point

    Which ones belong somewhere on this Asia map, and which one does not? Help your teacher place the ones that fit, then say aloud where the odd one out began.

    Tip

    Great noticing if you spot which word cannot sit on this map. When a country opens, listen for which languages live there today.

    4 - Borrowed Words in Your Copy ~6 mins

    COPYBOOK MOMENT

    Open your copy and write two words English has borrowed and where each came from.

    • anorak: hooded winter jacket (from Greenlandic)
    • pyjamas: sleep clothes (from Urdu)
    • bungalow: single-storey house (from Hindi)
    • ketchup: the sauce we put on chips (word travelled from Chinese Hokkien fish-sauce, then changed in English)

    Choose any two. Spell them carefully.

    5 - Who Does a Borrowed Word Belong to? ~7 mins

    💬 Discussion time

    Anorak still has a suitcase sticker from Greenland. Ketchup came on a long trade journey. Both feel ordinary in English now.

    • Does the sticker ever come off once we use the word every day?
    • Can a word belong to more than one language at the same time?
    • Is there a word you hear at home that English also uses?
    Pupil practice
    Module 2 · Where Words Come from
    Lesson 9 · Words That Travelled Here
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