The year has begun with a crop of fresh faced students who after this week’s word work hover on the brink of word nerdery! As we begin our explorations into Greek mythology what better place to begin word inquiry than with an examination of phobias that have their roots in the language of the noble Greeks?
We covered the board in a flurry of phobias gleaned from the brilliantly illustrated book Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears by the talented British illustrator author Emily Gravett. Students immediately recognized the word phobia as fear and deduced the words on the board were indicating specific fears. We began by analyzing the word phobia into <phob(e)+ia>. We confirmed the existence of <-ia> as a suffix as students suggested the words: mania, media,and hysteria. We recognized that the <-ia> suffix could be substituted in <phob(e)+ia> by another suffix, <-ic> to produce the word <phob(e)+ic>.
Students were allocated a phobia to analyze into morphemes and challenged to uncover the root and its meaning. And ladies and gentlemen, they were off and fossicking in the online etymology dictionary and the O.E.D. undaunted by the fact that the entire phobia in some cases was not listed! Students used what they knew from the Greek myths we have been reading- Arachne- forever ‘woven’ into the word arachnophobia: <arachn+o+phob(e)+ia>. Students used the base element with another morphemic element, the connecting vowel letter <o> to search for the roots and they covered the board with their enthusiastic discoveries!
We discovered that the word phobia, a noun, entered English in the late 18th century, with the sense of ‘irrational fear, horror, aversion”: ϕοβία. The O.E.D. informed us that <-ia> was “in Greek esp. frequent as the ending of abstract nouns from adjs. in -ος, etc.’ We found also mention of phobia as a ‘word forming element’ in both Online Etymology Dictionary and the O.E.D.
The vagueness of ‘combing form’
We discussed the vagueness of the term ‘combining form’, a term sprinkled unhelpfully throughout all the best dictionaries. The term ‘combining form’ is not particular helpful as it lacks morphological specificity.We were certain that the dictionaries we checked were referring to the coining of so many words, so many fears all attached to phobia. We too recognized the proliferation of words attached to phobia, a productive element indeed, but rather than use the vague term ‘combining form’, we referred to these words as compound: two or more base elements in the one word. This was a surprising discovery for many students that a compound word is not simply a word with two free base elements such as whiteboard but is a word with two or more base elements which can be bound such as: <phag(e)+o+phob(e)+ia> –> phagophobia, fear of eating, or even a three base element word as one student discovered in the word kinemortophobia: <kine+mort+o+phob(e)+ia> yes, horror of horrors, fear of zombies!
Once students had listed all their words I asked them to identify features that a word is of Greek origin. To do this we considered graphemes and elements. This work is ongoing as we gather data beyond phobias!
What was discovered through this inquiry?
- <ph> is a digraph that represents the phoneme/f/. It always indicates that the word’s roots are Greek in origin: photograph, metamorphosis,phagophobia.
- Connecting vowel letters are elements that link compound words. In words of Greek origin the connecting vowel letter is <o>: <hydr+o+phobe+ia>, <arachn+o+phobe+ia>, <bibli+o+phobe+ia>
- Nouns in Greek often had an element <-os>. Is this a Greek suffix many wondered? Removing this from the etymon helped us to determine the base element. We saw xen(os), ξένος ,is the Greek root meaning stranger, guest, foreigner, refugee. ϕόβος, Greek phob(os) is fear, panic, terror; Greek αἴλουρος, ailur(os) is cat.
- Greek verbs have an element <-ein> as in Greek verb : kinein to move. Removing the <-ein> from the etymon helped us to confirm the base element.
- Many of the phobia words were coined in the late nineteenth and twentieth century- the earliest word we found however, was hydrophobia . This had derived from Greek ὑδροϕοβία :hydrophobia from hydrophobos :ὑδροϕόβος, which moved into Latin as hydrophobia then entering English initially as idroforbia in the late 14th century. In all cases it referred to a symptom of rabies. : ‘1547 A. Borde Breuiary of Helthe i. f. Cxliv, Hidroforbia..is abhorringe of water… This impediment doth come..of a melancoly humour’. This word probably became the basis for subsequent words formed in English. We loved the discovery that the Old English counterpart of this word was :wæterfyrhtness, frightness of water!
- We recognized that an internal <y> in a word is frequently a sign of Greek origin as in hydrophobia and cynophobia : <cyn+o+phob(e)+ia> from Greek κύων (κυν-) kyon: dog.
- We noted that the digraph <ch> when used to represent/k/ was an indication of Greek-ness: arachnophobia, chorus, choir.
- We discussed the term ‘hybrid’ in reference to words that draw on roots from two different languages such as claustrophobia which draws on Greek phobos and Latin claudere a root leading to many bases in English including the bound base element <claustr> here in <claustr+o+phob(e)+ia>. This word was coined by Dr. Benjamin Ball in 1879.
Below images reflecting student morphological hypotheses with their research into roots. Interesting to note who has inserted a final non syllabic <e>. This will be an important inquiry in the next few weeks. It is interesting to note that not all have come to terms with the separate morpheme- the connecting vowel <o>. This will be experienced again in further inquiries into words of Greek origin.
While we noted above that these words have Greek roots, the words themselves are far more modern coinings and often via languages other than Greek. Many words appeared in English with the rise of the new profession of psychoanalysis in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With the appearance of these terms we see the evolution of psychiatric nomenclature. Freud, and to a lesser extent Jung, according to Hughes, (The History of English Words), sought precise scientific terminology and to do so mined the classical languages. However, the word pyschoanalysis coined in 1906 by Freud, was expressed first in German in 1896 then in French from a ‘Latinized form of Greek'(Online Etymology Dictionary). Classical words were ‘redefined and resuscitated’ (Hughes) into psychoanalytical and psychiatric terms in much the same way as these words from Greek and Latin had been appropriated into the medical field. Hughes states that the ‘predilection for arcane classical vocabulary’ was the ‘natural koine of members of the intelligentsia and was also probably designed to give the discipline the status it lacked.’
And where next?
- Further forays into the words that define phobia: fear, terror and panic (read Online Etymology Dictionary here to discover the Greek mythical connections of panic) as we journey with Odysseus admiring his courage in the face of fearsome monsters and his stalwart resolve to return home.
- Further forays into the identification of the features of words Greek in origin.
- And yes still to come- Tiny Tales of Fear!
What a formidable group of neophyte word nerds!
Word Nerdery 
I can not fully express the extent of the pleasure and admiration with which I read this post!
It is a particular satisfaction – at long last – to see Greek roots and etymons being written in Greek itself in postings about orthography. I hope that when you are announcing (spelling out) these Greek forms you are doing so by using the proper Greek names of those letters.
Knowledge of the order and names of the letters of the Greek alphabet, and how the Romans transcribed them into Latin, are fundamental orthographic skills.
I learned something myself from this post. I did, of course, know that the Greek noun for “terror, fear, flight” is ‘φόβος’. What I did not know until now is that the construction ‘φοβία’ is only found as the final component of compounds. It should, then, properly be transcribed ‘-phobia’.
You are, of course, right in identifying the Greek abstract-noun-forming suffix ‘-ία’, and noting that in ‘-φοβία’ it has replaced the suffix ‘-ος’ of the noun ‘φόβος’. Poor OED, though! It tells us that ‘-ία’ functions “as the ending of abstract nouns from adjs. in -ος.” Only here, Dear Oxford, it’s not from an adjective; ‘φόβος’ is a noun. Precision is not optional in a dictionary.
The construction ‘media’, however, does not contain the suffix ‘-ία’. First, it’s Latin, not Greek, and second, the final ‘a’ is the standard plural form of the singular Latin noun suffix – as, for instance, in “television is a mass medium among several other mass media”.
The comment that the presence of the digraph ‘ph’ in a spelling “always indicates that the word’s roots are Greek in origin” does not, I’m afraid, hold. I’m not, of course, stating (like my nephew would say) that it’s phoney or a load of phooey. Perhaps simply the insertion of ‘usually’ or ‘nearly always’ would help.
Again, congratulations on this triumphal overture to another year of feasting on word nerdery from KL.
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As always dear O.G. I am grateful for your reading and commenting on our work. As I typed this post I did wonder about the use of ‘always indicates Greek origins’ in reference to the digraph ‘ph’ ! As usual a little too much haste rather than careful wording!! Likewise ‘media’- I had a vague suspicion and should have checked this!! Initially we also thought trivia- but that proved not to be the case!! Interesting story there!! I do hope to be able to announce the Greek forms- but that needs rather more practice and even more familiarity with the Greek alphabet. I’ll be giving my students a copy of the Greek alphabet later this week and I’m sure they will be far swifter than I in recognizing them! As for the mention of your nephew- surely not a case of nepotism!! I’m hoping you have not swindled him with a gilt brass ring! That would take a lot of chutzpah!!~ Fascinating etymologies!
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My oh my Ann. What a joy to get to visit your class again after the summer break. If this is how you start your year, I can barely imagine what I will get to learn from your word scientists by the end of the year.
I’m very curious about your student’s reaction to your use of Greek letters. Is that something you looked at in class much, or is that mainly in the post? I’m sure it must pique the interest of some.
I, myself, have long been derelict in exploring Greek. I need to take the Greek Spellinar soon. Perhaps your lead will push me to finally do so sooner rather than later. By the way, my friend Matt Berman does wonderful things in Greek with his Grade 4 students. I believe they start the year with all the kids names written in Greek letters on their classroom “tubs” where they keep their stuff.
Thanks again for sharing the rich learning in your class from the start!
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Pete, thankyou for reading about our recent investigations into phobias! There has been a lot of excitement and laughter with this as students have uncovered the roots of these phobia words. It’s also sparked more tiny tales which we will share later- so great for discussing writing and revision, and,even in a ‘tiny tale’, narrative structure. None of this writing however, can be done without fully understanding the word!
As for my exploration into Greek and using the Greek alphabet, it is purely hesitant exploration on my part. The students of course have seen the roots written in Greek when they used some of the dictionaries to uncover the meanings of their particular phobia words. In response to sparks of interest in the Greek alphabet, we have an inquiry planned for this week where students will be wrestling with the Greek alphabet themselves. Not sure how this will go. I suspect that they will be far swifter at using this than me!
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I wonder if there is a name for the phobia schools and administrators generally feel when faced with the prospect of allowing this type of amazing learning and inquiry to occur. If there isn’t, there should be…because it’s NOT uncommon. What an exciting investigation, Ann…and I am now terribly curious about ‘tiny tales.’ Thanks for the inspiration!
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Thanks Dan for reading the first post of the academic year! As you are with your students Dan, I too am amazed by the ease and thoughtfulness students take to this type of word inquiry: use the online etymology dictionary, use the O.E.D., discuss terms like bound base elements, compound words that are comprised of bound elements … No flinching, no panic, and definitely no saying, “Please make this easier for me!!”
I love how much I learn from the students and I love how they rise to meet challenges.. So schools that worry about this, well perhaps they are ‘questophobic’ for as we know questions can cause trouble! I have this quotation on my wall by Primo Levi from ‘The Reawakening’ as a reminder of the necessity of questions: “Monsters exist, but they are too few in number to be truly dangerous. More dangerous are the common men, the functionaries ready to believe and to act without asking questions.”
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My head is reeling and my heart is full as the new school year is chronicled online around the world. There’s a lot to love about this post! My husband is a fan of a teevee show in the US about zombies, and I can’t stand to watch it. I will henceforth explain my distaste for this very popular show as my kinemortophobia. What a lovely hybrid word! If I’m feeling etymologically puritanical, I might just go for ‘kinebrotophobia.’ I’d rather indulge in ambrosia than watch zombies . . .
I also loved learning how young many of the ‘phobia’ words are in English. But what I think I love the most is the conversation about the errors or near-errors: the ‘ph’ in Greek (I typically say that ‘ph’ is “reliably Greek, but not always.” Most folks gopher that explanation. The issue with ‘media’ and your near-miss with ‘trivia’ — underscores a critical piece of orthographic study for any scholar: the understanding what appears to be the same on the surface of a word can be quite different structurally, as in media and trivia versus phobia. Oh, the things you could learn by studying the word ‘media’!
At any rate, look at how your understanding has deepened because of the slight errors and the consequent dialogue! And the same will be true for your students.
You’re off to an auspicious start! Next year, my son will be in 7th grade. Perhaps we should be relocating to Kuala Lumpur for the year?
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Gina , Thankyou for reading about our ‘phobia’ forays. This phobia fascination continues to grow and has led to some really interesting discoveries. I will ask my kinemortophobic student to investigate ‘ambrosia’ and ‘nectar’- it may help him deal with this phobia!
As for learning from the errors- well that’s really everything about learning isn’t it? We were discussing this issue in class today when someone asked if a particular anlaysis was right. The confirmation of the right answer is not really the point as we have often discussed how that very question can so often block further thinking. It’s all in the evidence offered in support , then listening and discussing further with others, then refining an initial hypothesis. The discussion in this comment section led me to wonderful etymological discoveries of ‘phoney’ and to words from Yiddish, all of which helped me understand that ‘ph’ is, as you stated, ‘reliably’ a clue to ‘Greekness’ but ‘not always’!!’
Will definitely be examining ‘media’ and other related words in greater depth- so appropriate for ”’middle school!!! Hope you do decide to relocate to Kuala Lumpur- it’s not nearly as distant as ‘Mesopotamia’!!!
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This post delights me! I was immediately drawn in by the photo of your fearful students. Between your writing and these comments, my understanding has deepened. The list of things you and your students talked about was truly exciting! I love the idea that many words are hybrids. I also enjoyed seeing all the spelling clues that often lead to identifying a word’s origin as Greek.
Next week my students will launch into a study of the earth’s systems (meaning biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere). We’ll be stopping by to read what you found out about hydrosphere. What an interesting history!
Lastly, please share with your students my enjoyment of their presentations. They were beautifully balanced, meaning the drawings enhanced the information, and caused my eyes to linger a bit longer than they might have otherwise.
I look forward to a magnificent year of sharing!
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Marybeth, thankyou for your comments here. My students will be excited to learn that another class will be exploring the Greek origins of words. All those ‘spheres’ ! So much to be explored with your words. The students’ understanding of those concepts can only be enriched through word inquiry. Word inquiry as always is beyond rote memorization of the letter order in a word – it is the foundation of all learning- science , history, art, philosophy as the words themselves are historical artefacts of a culture and its thinking.
I am excited about your inquiries and also look forward to continued sharing and learning! And the year has only just begun!!
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