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What’s the origin of the word ‘radio’? And why have foreign words like ‘guerrilla’ and ‘cuisine’ become so firmly entrenched in the English language?
A new video website project led by the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at The University of Nottingham examines these words and more, reflecting the huge range of international research taking place in the department.
The videos have already covered words in Spanish, French, German and Serbo-Croat. Academics in the School choose a word, then feature in a short video explaining the meaning behind it. The project is steadily gaining followers on YouTube — with words such as ‘achtung’, ‘Nazi’ and ‘tsar’ proving the most popular so far.
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The project follows on from the University’s other successful collaborations with video journalist Brady Haran, who has also developed the
Periodic Table of Videos, featuring a video for every element;
Sixty Symbols, which examines important symbols in physics and engineering; and
Bibledex, worked with theologians to create a video for each of the 66 books of the Bible.
“English tends to be a magpie language which happily steals vocabulary from elsewhere, welcomes new arrivals but often redefines them over time,” said Professor Judith Still, Chair of French and Critical Theory and Director for the Centre for Advanced Studies. “It can be fascinating to see that process of adaptation to British culture, but also to see the history of the words in their native context — for example, the special relationship of 'aficionado' to a passion for bull-fighting. Colleagues are given the opportunity to find their own words — relating to areas of their research which they want to communicate to a more varied audience than readers of academic journals.”
“Research staff have been asked to think of a word used in English which originated in a foreign culture and closely relates to their current research, and then to talk about it. All the words will eventually form a huge crossword,” said Catherine Davies, Professor of Hispanic and Latin American Studies and Head of School. “Within the School people are doing research on a wide range of topics relating to locations across the world — this project gives the public insight into our research specialisations.
“The one thing we all have in common is our interest in words and language, whether in relation to literature, media, politics, society and thought. This led to the Words of the World concept.”
“These videos are about much more than just the origin of words,” said Brady. “They're also about how they're used, how they change and all those little side stories that are attached to so many words.
“Each time someone watches one of these videos, they never know what they're going to get.”
To view the videos, visit
www.wordsoftheworld.co.uk or
www.youtube.com/wordsoftheworld
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 100 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and Times Higher (THE) World University Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to RAE 2008, with almost 60 per cent of all research defined as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. Research Fortnight analysis of RAE 2008 ranks the University 7th in the UK by research power. In 27 subject areas, the University features in the UK Top Ten, with 14 of those in the Top Five.
The University provides innovative and top quality teaching, undertakes world-changing research, and attracts talented staff and students from 150 nations. Described by The Times as Britain's “only truly global university”, it has invested continuously in award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. Twice since 2003 its research and teaching academics have won Nobel Prizes. The University has won the Queen's Award for Enterprise in both 2006 (International Trade) and 2007 (Innovation — School of Pharmacy), and was named ‘Entrepreneurial University of the Year’ at the Times Higher Education Awards 2008.
Nottingham was designated as a Science City in 2005 in recognition of its rich scientific heritage, industrial base and role as a leading research centre. Nottingham has since embarked on a wide range of business, property, knowledge transfer and educational initiatives (www.science-city.co.uk) in order to build on its growing reputation as an international centre of scientific excellence. The University of Nottingham is a partner in Nottingham: the Science City.