chapter-6

HOW TO TALK ABOUT SCIENCE AND SCIENTISTS

(Sessions 11–13)

TEASER PREVIEW

What scientist:

is interested in the development of the human race?

is a student of the heavens?

explores the physical qualities of the earth?

studies all living matter?

is a student of plant life?

is a student of animal life?

is professionally involved in insects?

is a student of language?

is a student of the psychological effects of words?

studies the culture, structure, and customs of different societies?

SESSION 11

A true scientist lives up to the etymological meaning of his title “one who

knows.” Anything scientific is based on facts—observable facts that can be

recorded, tested, checked, and verified.

Science, then, deals with human knowledge—as far as it has gone. It

has gone very far indeed since the last century or two, when we stopped

basing our thinking on guesses, wishes, theories that had no foundation in

reality, and concepts of how the world ought to be; and instead began to

explore the world as it was, and not only the world but the whole

universe. From Galileo, who looked through the first telescope atop a

tower in Pisa, Italy, through Pasteur, who watched microbes through a

microscope, to Einstein, who deciphered riddles of the universe by means

of mathematics, we have at last begun to fill in a few areas of ignorance.

Who are some of the more important explorers of knowledge—and by

what terms are they known?

IDEAS

1. whither mankind?

The field is all mankind—how we developed in mind and body from

primitive cultures and early forms.

An anthropologist

2. what’s above?

The field is the heavens and all that’s in them—planets, galaxies, stars,

and other universes.

An astronomer

3. and what’s below?

The field is the comparatively little and insignificant whirling ball on

which we live—the earth. How did our planet come into being, what is it

made of, how were its mountains, oceans, rivers, plains, and valleys

formed, and what’s down deep if you start digging?

A geologist

4. what is life?

The field is all living organisms—from the simplest one-celled amoeba

to the amazingly complex and mystifying structure we call a human being.

Plant or animal, flesh or vegetable, denizen of water, earth, or air—if it

lives and grows, this scientist wants to know more about it.

A biologist

5. flora

Biology classifies life into two great divisions—plant and animal. This

scientist’s province is the former category—flowers, trees, shrubs, mosses,

marine vegetation, blossoms, fruits, seeds, grasses, and all the rest that

make up the plant kingdom.

A botanist

6. and fauna

Animals of every description, kind, and condition, from birds to bees,

fish to fowl, reptiles to humans, are the special area of exploration of this

scientist.

A zoologist

7. and all the little bugs

There are over 650,000 different species of insects, and millions of

individuals of every species—and this scientist is interested in every one

of them.

An entomologist

8. tower of Babel

This linguistic scientist explores the subtle, intangible, elusive uses of

that unique tool that distinguishes human beings from all other forms of

life—to wit: language. This person is, in short, a student of linguistics,

ancient and modern, primitive and cultured, Chinese, Hebrew, Icelandic,

Slavic, Teutonic, and every other kind spoken now or in the past by

human beings, not excluding that delightful hodgepodge known as “pidgin

English,” in which a piano is described as “big box, you hit ’um in teeth,

he cry,” and in which Hamlet’s famous quandary, “To be or not to be, that

is the question…,” is translated into “Can do, no can do—how fashion?”

A philologist

9. what do you really mean?

This linguistic scientist explored the subtle, intangible, elusive

relationship between language and thinking, between meaning and words;

and is interested in determining the psychological causes and effects of

what people say and write.

A semanticist

10. who are your friends and neighbors?

This scientist is a student of the ways in which people live together,

their family and community structures and customs, their housing, their

social relationships, their forms of government, and their layers of caste

and class.

A sociologist

USING THE WORDS

Can you pronounce the words?

1. anthropologist

an′-thrƏ-POL′-Ə-jist

2. astronomer

Ə-STRON′-Ə-mƏr

3. geologist

jee-OL′-Ə-jist

4. biologist

bī-OL′-Ə-jist

5. botanist

BOT′-Ə-nist

6. zoologist

zō-OL′-Ə-jist

7. entomologist

en′-tƏ-MOL′-Ə-jist

8. philologist

fƏ-LOL′-Ə-jist

9. semanticist

sƏ-MAN′-tƏ-sist

10. sociologist

sō-shee-OL′-Ə-jist or sō′-see-OL′-Ə-jist

Can you work with the words?

SCIENTIST

PROFESSIONAL FIELD

1. anthropologist

a. community and family life

2. astronomer

b. meanings and psychological

effects of words

3. geologist

c. development of the human race

4. biologist

d. celestial phenomena

5. botanist

e. language

6. zoologist

f. insect forms

7. entomologist

g. the earth

8. philologist

h. all forms of living matter

9. semanticist

i. animal life

10. sociologist

j. plant life

KEY: 1–c, 2–d, 3–g, 4–h, 5–j, 6–i, 7–f, 8–e, 9–b, 10–a

Can you recall the words?

1. insects

1. E __________________

2. language

2. P __________________

3. social conditions

3. S __________________

4. history of development of mankind

4. A __________________

5. meanings of words

5. S __________________

6. plants

6. B __________________

7. the earth

7. G __________________

8. the heavenly bodies

8. A __________________

9. all living things

9. B __________________

10. animals

10. Z __________________

SESSION 12

ORIGINS AND RELATED WORDS

1. people and the stars

Anthropologist is constructed from roots we are familiar with—anthropos,

mankind, and logos, science, study.

The science is anthropology (an′-thrƏ-POL′-Ə-jee). Can you write the

adjective form of this word? __________________. (Can you pronounce it?)

Astronomer is built on Greek astron, star, and nomos, arrangement, law,

or order. The astronomer is interested in the arrangement of stars and

other celestial bodies. The science is astronomy (Ə-STRON′-Ə-mee), the

adjective is astronomical (as′-trƏ-NOM′-Ə-kƏl), a word often used in a non-

heavenly sense, as in “the astronomical size of the national debt.”

Astronomy deals in such enormous distances (the sun, for example, is

93,000,000 miles from the earth, and light from stars travels toward the

earth at 186,000 miles per second) that the adjective astronomical is

applied to any tremendously large figure.

Astron, star, combines with logos to form astrology (Ə-STROL′-Ə-jee),

which assesses the influence of planets and stars on human events. The

practitioner is an astrologer (Ə-STROL′-Ə-jƏr). Can you form the adjective?

___________________. (Can you pronounce it?)

By etymology, an astronaut (AS′-trƏ-not′) is a sailor among the stars

(Greek nautes, sailor). This person is termed with somewhat less

exaggeration a cosmonaut (KOZ′-mƏ-not′) by the Russians (Greek, kosmos,

universe). Nautical (NOT′-Ə-kƏl), relating to sailors, sailing, ships, or

navigation, derives also from nautes, and nautes in turn is from Greek naus,

ship—a root used in nausea (etymologically, ship-sickness or seasickness!).

Aster (AS′-tƏr) is a star shaped flower. Asterisk (AS′-tƏ-risk), a star-

shaped symbol (*), is generally used in writing or printing to direct the

reader to look for a footnote. Astrophysics (as′-trƏ-FIZ′-iks) is that branch

of physics dealing with heavenly bodies.

Disaster (dƏ-ZAS′-tƏr) and disastrous (dƏ-ZAS′-trƏs) also come from

astron, star. In ancient times it was believed that the stars ruled human

destiny; any misfortune or calamity, therefore, happened to someone

because the stars were in opposition. (Dis-, a prefix of many meanings, in

this word signifies against.)

Nomos, arrangement, law, or order, is found in two other interesting

English words.

For example, if you can make your own laws for yourself, if you needn’t

answer to anyone else for what you do, in short, if you are independent,

then you enjoy autonomy (aw-TON′-Ə-mee), a word that combines nomos,

law, with autos, self. Autonomy, then, is self-law, self-government. The

fifty states in our nation are fairly autonomous (aw-TON′-Ə-mƏs), but not

completely so. On the other hand, in most colleges each separate

department is pretty much autonomous. And of course, one of the big

reasons for the revolution of 1776 was that America wanted autonomy,

rather than control by England.

You know the instrument that beginners at the piano use to guide their

timing? A pendulum swings back and forth, making an audible click at

each swing, and in that way governs or orders the measure (or timing) of

the player. Hence it is called a metronome (MET′-rƏ-nōm′), a word that

combines nomos with metron, measurement.

2. the earth and its life

Geologist derives from Greek ge (geo-), earth. The science is geology (jee-

OL′-Ə-jee). Can you write the adjective? ____________________________________. (Can

you pronounce it?)

Geometry

(jee-OM′-Ə-tree)—ge

plus

metron—by

etymology

“measurement of the earth,” is that branch of mathematics treating of the

measurement and properties of solid and plane figures, such as angles,

triangles, squares, spheres, prisms, etc. (The etymology of the word shows

that this ancient science was originally concerned with the measurement

of land and spaces on the earth.)

The mathematician is a geometrician (jee′-Ə-mƏ-TRISH′-Ən), the adjective

is geometric (jee′-Ə-MET′-rik).

Geography (jee-OG′-rƏ-fee) is writing about (graphein, to write), or

mapping, the earth. A practitioner of the science is a geographer (jee-OG′-

rƏ-fƏr), the adjective is geographic (jee-Ə-GRAF′-ik).

(The name George is also derived from ge (geo-), earth, plus ergon, work

—the first George was an earth-worker or farmer.)

Biologist combines bios, life, with logos, science, study. The science is

biology (bī-OL′-Ə-jee). The adjective? __________________.

Bios, life, is also found in biography (bī-OG′-rƏ-fee), writing about

someone’s life; autobiography (aw′-tƏ-bī-OG′-rƏ-fee), the story of one’s life

written by oneself; and biopsy (BĪ′-op-see), a medical examination, or view

(opsis, optikos, view, vision), generally through a microscope, of living

tissue, frequently performed when cancer is suspected. A small part of the

tissue is cut from the affected area and under the microscope its cells can

be investigated for evidence of malignancy. A biopsy is contrasted with an

autopsy (AW′-top-see), which is a medical examination of a corpse in order

to discover the cause of death. The autos in autopsy means, as you know,

self—in an autopsy, etymologically speaking, the surgeon or pathologist

determines, by actual view or sight rather than by theorizing (i.e., “by

viewing or seeing for oneself”), what brought the corpse to its present

grievous state.

Botanist is from Greek botane, plant. The field is botany (BOT′-Ə-nee); the

adjective is botanical (bƏ-TAN′-Ə-kƏl).

Zoologist is from Greek zoion, animal. The science is zoology. The

adjective? __________________. The combination of the two o’s tempts many

people to pronounce the first three letters of these words in one syllable,

thus: zoo. However, the two o’s should be separated, as in co-operate, even

though no hyphen is used in the spelling to indicate such separation. Say

zō-OL′-Ə-jist, zō-OL′-Ə-jee, zō′-Ə-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl. Zoo, a park for animals, is a

shortened form of zoological gardens, and is, of course, pronounced in one

syllable.

The zodiac (ZŌ′-dee-ak) is a diagram, used in astrology, of the paths of

the sun, moon, and planets; it contains, in part, Latin names for various

animals—scorpio, scorpion; leo, lion; cancer, crab; taurus, bull; aries, ram;

and pisces, fish. Hence its derivation from zoion, animal.

The adjective is zodiacal (zō-DĪ′-Ə-kƏl).

REVIEW OF ETYMOLOGY

PREFIX, ROOT

MEANING

1. anthropos

mankind

ENGLISH WORD _____________

2. logos

science, study

ENGLISH WORD _____________

3. astron

star

ENGLISH WORD _____________

4. nautes

sailor

ENGLISH WORD _____________

5. naus

ship

ENGLISH WORD _____________

6. dis-

against

ENGLISH WORD _____________

7. nomos

arrangement, law, order

ENGLISH WORD _____________

8. autos

self

ENGLISH WORD _____________

9. metron

measurement

ENGLISH WORD _____________

10. ge (geo-)

earth

ENGLISH WORD _____________

11. graphein

to write

ENGLISH WORD _____________

12. bios

life

ENGLISH WORD _____________

13. opsis, optikos

view, vision, sight

ENGLISH WORD _____________

14. botane

plant

ENGLISH WORD _____________

15. zoion

animal

ENGLISH WORD _____________

USING THE WORDS

Can you pronounce the words? (I)

1. anthropology

an′-thrƏ-POL′-Ə-jee

2. anthropological

an′-thrƏ-pƏ-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl

3. astronomy

Ə-STRON′-Ə-mee

4. astronomical

as′-trƏ-NOM′-Ə-kƏl

5. astrology

Ə-STROL′-Ə-jee

6. astrological

as′-trƏ-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl

7. astronaut

AS′-trƏ-not′

8. cosmonaut

KOZ′-mƏ-not′

9. nautical

NOT′-Ə-kƏl

10. aster

AS′-tƏr

11. asterisk

AS′-tƏ-risk

12. disaster

dƏ-ZAS′-tƏr

13. disastrous

dƏ-ZAS′-trƏs

Can you pronounce the words? (II)

1. geology

jee-OL′-Ə-jee

2. geological

jee′-Ə-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl

3. geometry

jee-OM′-Ə-tree

4. geometrician

jee′-Ə-mƏ-TRISH′-Ən

5. geometric

jee-Ə-MET′-rik

6. geography

jee-OG′-rƏ-fee

7. geographer

jee-OG′-rƏ-fƏr

8. geographical

jee′-Ə-GRAF′-Ə-kƏl

9. biology

bī-OL′-Ə-jee

10. biological

bī′-Ə-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl

11. biography

bī-OG′-rƏ-fee

12. biographer

bī-OG′-rƏ-fƏr

13. biographical

bī′-Ə-GRAF′-Ə-kƏl

Can you pronounce the words? (III)

1. autonomy

aw-TON′-Ə-mee

2. autonomous

aw-TON′-Ə-mƏs

3. metronome

MET′-rƏ-nōm′

4. autobiography

aw′-tƏ-bī-OG′-rƏ-fee

5. autobiographer

aw′-tƏ-bī-OG′-rƏ-fƏr

6. autobiographical

aw-tƏ-bī′-Ə-GRAF′-Ə-kƏl

7. biopsy

BĪ′-op-see

8. autopsy

AW′-top-see

9. botany

BOT′-Ə-nee

10. botanical

bƏ-TAN′-Ə-kƏl

11. zoology

zō-OL′-Ə-jee

12. zoological

zō-Ə-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl

13. zodiac

ZŌ′-dee-ak

14. zodiacal

zō-DĪ′-Ə-kƏl

Can you work with the words? (I)

1. anthropology

a. theory of the influence of planets

and stars on human events

2. astronomy

b. science of earth-mapping

3. astrology

c. science of all living matter

4. geology

d. science of human development

5. biology

e. science of plants

6. geometry

f. science of the composition of the

earth

7. botany

g. science of animal life

8. zoology

h. science of the heavens

9. geography

i. mathematical science of figures,

shapes, etc.

KEY: 1–d, 2–h, 3–a, 4–f, 5–c, 6–i, 7–e, 8–g, 9–b

Can you work with the words? (II)

1. autopsy

a. “sailor among the stars”

2. biopsy

b. star-shaped flower

3. biography

c. story of one’s own life

4. autobiography

d. dissection and examination of a

corpse to determine the cause of

death

5. zodiac

e. great misfortune

6. astronaut

f. “sailor of the universe”

7. cosmonaut

g. story of someone’s life

8. aster

h. diagram of paths of sun, moon,

and planets

9. disaster

i. instrument to measure musical

time

10. autonomy

j. self-rule

11. metronome

k. examination of living tissue

KEY: 1–d, 2–k, 3–g, 4–c, 5–h, 6–a, 7–f, 8–b, 9–e, 10–j, 11–i

Do you understand the words?

1. Are anthropological studies concerned with plant life?

YES NO

2. Are astronomical numbers extremely small?

YES NO

3. Is an astrologer interested in the time and date of your birth?

YES NO

4. Are nautical maneuvers carried on at sea?

YES NO

5. Does a disastrous earthquake take a huge toll of life and property?

YES NO

6. Do geological investigations sometimes determine where oil is to be

found?

YES NO

7. Does a geometrician work with mathematics?

YES NO

8. Do geographical shifts in population sometimes affect the economy of

an area?

YES NO

9. Does a biographical novel deal with the life of a real person?

YES NO

10. Is botany a biological science?

YES NO

11. Is the United States politically autonomous?

YES NO

12. Is a biopsy performed on a dead body?

YES NO

13. Is a metronome used in the study of mathematics?

YES NO

KEY: 1–no, 2–no, 3–yes, 4–yes, 5–yes, 6–yes, 7–yes, 8–yes, 9–yes, 10–yes,

11–yes, 12–no, 13–no, 14–no, 15–no

Can you recall the words? (I)

1. pertaining to the science of animals (adj.)

1. Z__________________

2. pertaining to the science of plants (adj.)

2. B__________________

3. dissection of a corpse to determine the cause of death

3. A__________________

4. story of one’s life, self-written

4. A__________________

5. pertaining to the science of all living matter (adj.)

5. B__________________

6. science of the measurement of figures

6. G__________________

7. pertaining to the science of the earth’s composition (adj.)

7. G__________________

8. branch of physics dealing with the composition of celestial bodies

8. A__________________

9. star-shaped flower

9. A__________________

10. very high in number; pertaining to the science of the heavens (adj.)

10. A__________________

11. science of heavenly bodies

11. A__________________

12. science of the development of mankind

12. A__________________

13. person who believes human events are influenced by the paths of the

sun, moon, and planets

13. A__________________

KEY: 1–zoological, 2–botanical, 3–autopsy, 4–autobiography, 5–

biological, 6–geometry, 7–geological, 8–astrophysics, 9–aster, 10–

astronomical, 11–astronomy, 12–anthropology, 13–astrologer

Can you recall the words? (II)

1. microscopic examination of living tissue

1. B__________________

2. self-government

2. A__________________

3. time measurer for music

3. M__________________

4. voyager among the stars

4. A__________________

5. traveler through the universe

5. C__________________

6. great misfortune

6. D__________________

7. mapping of the earth (noun)

7. G__________________

8. self-governing (adj.)

8. A__________________

9. diagram used in astrology

9. Z__________________

10. pertaining to such a diagram (adj.)

10. Z__________________

11. pertaining to ships, sailing, etc.

11. N__________________

12. star-shaped symbol

12. A__________________

13. story of a person’s life

13. B__________________

SESSION 13

ORIGINS AND RELATED WORDS

1. cutting in and out

Flies, bees, beetles, wasps, and other insects are segmented creatures—

head, thorax, and abdomen. Where these parts join, there appears to the

imaginative eye a “cutting in” of the body.

Hence the branch of zoology dealing with insects is aptly named

entomology, from Greek en-, in, plus tome, a cutting. The adjective is

entomological (en′-tƏ-mƏ-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl).

(The word insect makes the same point—it is built on Latin in- in, plus

sectus, a form of the verb meaning to cut.)

The prefix ec-, from Greek ek-, means out. (The Latin prefix, you will

recall, is ex-.) Combine ec- with tome to derive the words for surgical

procedures in which parts are “cut out,” or removed: tonsillectomy (the

tonsils),

appendectomy

(the

appendix),

mastectomy

(the

breast),

hysterectomy (the uterus), prostatectomy (the prostate), etc.

Combine ec- with Greek kentron, center (the Latin root, as we have

discovered, is centrum), to derive eccentric (Ək-SEN′-trik)—out of the center,

hence deviating from the normal in behavior, attitudes, etc., or

unconventional, odd, strange. The noun is eccentricity (ek′-sƏn-TRIS′-Ə-tee).

2. more cuts

The Greek prefix a- makes a root negative; the atom (AT′-Əm) was so

named at a time when it was considered the smallest possible particle of

an element, that is, one that could not be cut any further. (We have long

since split the atom, of course, with results, as in most technological

advances, both good and evil.) The adjective is atomic (Ə-TOM′-ik).

The Greek prefix ana- has a number of meanings, one of which is up, as

in anatomy (Ə-NAT′-Ə-mee), originally the cutting up of a plant or animal to

determine its structure, later the bodily structure itself. The adjective is

anatomical (an′-Ə-TOM′-Ə-kƏl).

Originally any book that was part of a larger work of many volumes

was called a tome (TŌM)—etymologically, a part cut from the whole.

Today, a tome designates, often disparagingly, an exceptionally large

book, or one that is heavy and dull in content.

The Greek prefix dicha-, in two, combines with tome to construct

dichotomy (dī-KOT′-Ə-mee), a splitting in two, a technical word used in

astronomy, biology, botany, and the science of logic. It is also employed

as a non-technical term, as when we refer to the dichotomy in the life of a

man who is a government clerk all day and a night-school teacher after

working hours, so that his life is, in a sense, split into two parts. The verb

is dichotomize (dī-KOT′-Ə-mīz′); the adjective is dichotomous (dī-KOT′-Ə-

mƏs). Dichotomous thinking is the sort that divides everything into two

parts—good and bad; white and black; Democrats and Republicans; etc.

An unknown wit has made this classic statement about dichotomous

thinking: “There are two kinds of people: those who divide everything

into two parts, and those who do not.”

Imagine a book, a complicated or massive report, or some other

elaborate document—now figuratively cut on or through it so that you

can get to its essence, the very heart of the idea contained in it. What you

have is an epitome (Ə-PIT′-Ə-mee), a condensation of the whole. (From epi-,

on, upon, plus tome.)

An epitome may refer to a summary, condensation, or abridgment of

language, as in “Let me have an epitome of the book,” or “Give me the

epitome of his speech.”

More commonly, epitome and the verb epitomize (Ə-PIT′-Ə-mīz′) are used

in sentences like “She is the epitome of kindness,” or “That one act

epitomizes her philosophy of life.” If you cut everything else away to get to

the essential part, that part is a representative cross-section of the whole.

So a woman who is the epitome of kindness stands for all people who are

kind; and an act that epitomizes a philosophy of life represents, by itself,

the complete philosophy.

3. love and words

Logos, we know, means science or study; it may also mean word or

speech, as it does in philology (fƏ-LOL′-Ə-jee), etymologically the love of

words (from Greek philein, to love, plus logos), or what is more commonly

called linguistics (ling-GWIS′-tiks), the science of language, a term derived

from Latin lingua, tongue.

Can you write, and pronounce, the adjective form of philology?

__________________.

4. more love

Philanthropy (fƏ-LAN′-thrƏ-pee) is by etymology the love of mankind—

one who devotes oneself to philanthropy is a philanthropist (fƏ-LAN′-thrƏ-

pist), as we learned in Chapter 3; the adjective is philanthropic (fil-Ən-

THROP′-ik).

The verb philander (fƏ-LAN′-dƏr), to “play around” sexually, be

promiscuous, or have extramarital relations, combines philein with andros,

male. (Philandering, despite its derivation, is not of course exclusively the

male province. The word is, in fact, derived from the proper name

conventionally given to male lovers in plays and romances of the 1500s

and 1600s.) One who engages in the interesting activities catalogued

above is a philanderer (fƏ-LAN′-dƏr-Ər).

By etymology, philosophy is the love of wisdom (Greek sophos, wise);

Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love (Greek adelphos, brother);

philharmonic is the love of music or harmony (Greek harmonia, harmony);

and a philter, a rarely used word, is a love potion. Today we call whatever

arouses sexual desire an aphrodisiac (af′-rƏ-DIZ′-ee-ak′), from Aphrodite,

the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

Aphrodisiac is an adjective as well as a noun, but a longer adjective

form, aphrodisiacal (af′-rƏ-dƏ-ZĪ′-Ə-kƏl), is also used.

A bibliophile (BIB′-lee-Ə-fīl′) is one who loves books as collectibles,

admiring their binding, typography, illustrations, rarity, etc.—in short, a

book collector. The combining root is Greek biblion, book.

An Anglophile (ANG′-glƏ-fīl′) admires and is fond of the British people,

customs, culture, etc. The combining root is Latin Anglus, English.

5. words and how they affect people

The semanticist is professionally involved in semantics (sƏ-MAN′-tiks).

The adjective is semantic (sƏ-MAN′-tik) or semantical (sƏ-MAN′-tƏ-kƏl).

Semantics, like orthopedics, pediatrics, and obstetrics, is a singular noun

despite the -s ending. Semantics is, not are, an exciting study. However,

this rule applies only when we refer to the word as a science or area of

study. In the following sentence, semantics is used as a plural: “The

semantics of your thinking are all wrong.”

Two stimulating and highly readable books on the subject, well worth a

visit to the library to pick up, are Language in Thought and Action, by S. I.

Hayakawa, and People in Quandaries, by Dr. Wendell Johnson.

6. how people live

The profession of the sociologist is sociology (sō′-shee-OL′-Ə-jee or sō-see-

OL′-Ə-jee). Can you write, and pronounce, the adjective? __________________.

Sociology is built on Latin socius, companion,¹ plus logos, science, study.

Socius is the source of such common words as associate, social, socialize,

society, sociable, and antisocial; as well as asocial (ay-SŌ′-shƏl), which

combines the negative prefix a- with socius.

The antisocial person actively dislikes people, and often behaves in ways

that are detrimental or destructive to society or the social order (anti-,

against).

On the other hand, someone who is asocial is withdrawn and self-

centered, avoids contact with others, and feels completely indifferent to

the interests or welfare of society. The asocial person doesn’t want to “get

involved.”

REVIEW OF ETYMOLOGY

PREFIX, ROOT

MEANING

1. en-

ENGLISH WORD _____________

2. tome

a cutting

ENGLISH WORD _____________

3. in-

ENGLISH WORD _____________

4. sectus

cut

ENGLISH WORD _____________

5. kentron (centrum)

center

ENGLISH WORD _____________

6. a-

not, negative

ENGLISH WORD _____________

7. ana-

ENGLISH WORD _____________

8. dicha-

in two

ENGLISH WORD _____________

9. epi-

on, upon

ENGLISH WORD _____________

10. logos

word, speech

ENGLISH WORD _____________

11. lingua

tongue

ENGLISH WORD _____________

12. philein

to love

ENGLISH WORD _____________

13. sophos

wise

ENGLISH WORD _____________

14. adelphos

brother

ENGLISH WORD _____________

15. biblion

book

ENGLISH WORD _____________

16. Anglus

English

ENGLISH WORD _____________

17. socius

companion

ENGLISH WORD _____________

18. anti-

against

ENGLISH WORD _____________

USING THE WORDS

Can you pronounce the words? (I)

1. entomology

en′-tƏ-MOL′-Ə-jee

2. entomological

en′-tƏ-mƏ-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl

3. eccentric

Ək-SEN′-trik

4. eccentricity

Ək′-sƏn-TRIS′-Ə-tee

5. atom

AT′-Əm

6. atomic

Ə-TOM′-ik

7. anatomy

Ə-NAT′-Ə-mee

8. anatomical

an′-Ə-TOM′-Ə-kƏl

9. tome

TŌM

10. dichotomy

dī-KOT′-Ə-mee

11. dichotomous

dī-KOT′-Ə-mƏs

12. dichotomize

dī-KOT′-Ə-mīz′

Can you pronounce the words? (II)

1. epitome

Ə-PIT′-Ə-mee

2. epitomize

Ə-PIT′-Ə-mīz′

3. philology

fƏ-LOL′-Ə-jee

4. philological

fil′-Ə-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl

5. linguistics

ling-GWIS′-tiks

6. philanthropy

fƏ-LAN′-thrƏ-pee

7. philanthropist

fƏ-LAN′-thrƏ-pist

8. philanthropic

fil′-Ən-THROP′-ik

9. philander

fƏ-LAN′-dƏr

10. philanderer

fƏ-LAN′-dƏr-Ər

Can you pronounce the words? (III)

1. philter

FIL′-tƏr

2. aphrodisiac

af′-rƏ-DIZ′-ee-ak′

3. aphrodisiacal

af′-rƏ-dƏ-ZĪ′-Ə-kƏl

4. bibliophile

BIB′-lee-Ə-fīl′

5. Anglophile

ANG′-glƏ-fīl′

6. semantics

sƏ-MAN′-tiks

7. semantic

sƏ-MAN′-tik

8. semantical

sƏ-MAN′-tƏ-kƏl

9. sociology

sō′-shee-OL′-Ə-jee or sō′-see-OL′-Ə-

jee

10. sociological

sō′-shee-Ə-LOJ′-Ə-kƏl or sō′-see-Ə-

LOJ′-Ə-kƏl

11. asocial

ay-SŌ′-shƏl

Can you work with the words? (I)

1. entomology

a. physical structure

2. eccentricity

b. summary; representation of the

whole

3. anatomy

c. science of the meanings and

effects of words

4. dichotomy

d. linguistics

5. epitome

e. science dealing with insects

6. philology

f. science of social structures and

customs

7. semantics

g. charitable works

8. sociology

h. that which causes sexual arousal

9. aphrodisiac

i. strangeness; oddness;

unconventionality

10. philanthropy

j. condition or state of being split

into two parts

KEY: 1–e, 2–i, 3–a, 4–j, 5–b, 6–d, 7–c, 8–f, 9–h, 10–g

Can you work with the words? (II)

dichotomize

a. dull, heavy book

2. epitomize b. love potion; aphrodisiac

3. philander

c. pertaining to the study of language

4. philter

d. one fond of British people, customs, etc.

5. bibliophile ^{e. pertaining to the science of group cultures, conventions,}

etc.

6. Anglophile f. to split in two

7. asocial

g. withdrawn from contact with people

8. tome

h. book collector

philological

i. to summarize

10.

sociological

j. to engage in extramarital sex

KEY: 1–f, 2–i, 3–j, 4–b, 5–h, 6–d, 7–g, 8–a, 9–c, 10–e

Do you understand the words?

1. Is a philanderer likely to be faithful to a spouse?

YES NO

2. Did Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde lead a dichotomous existence?

YES NO

3. Is an egoist the epitome of selfishness?

YES NO

4. Is a philanthropist antisocial?

YES NO

5. Is an aphrodisiac intended to reduce sexual interest?

YES NO

6. Is a bibliophile’s chief aim the enjoyment of literature?

YES NO

7. Does a philologist understand etymology?

YES NO

8. Is a semanticist interested in more than the dictionary meanings of

words?

YES NO

9. Is an asocial person interested in improving social conditions?

YES NO

10. Is a light novel considered a tome?

YES NO

KEY: 1–no, 2–yes, 3–yes, 4–no, 5–no, 6–no, 7–yes, 8–yes, 9–no, 10–no

Can you recall the words?

1. pertaining to the study of social customs (adj.)

1. S__________________

2. pertaining to the psychological effects of words (adj.)

2. S__________________ or S__________________

3. lover and collector of books

3. B__________________

4. make love promiscuously

4. P__________________

5. pertaining to the science of linguistics (adj.)

5. P__________________

6. pertaining to the study of insects (adj.)

6. E__________________

7. one who admires British customs

7. A__________________

8. smallest particle, so-called

8. A__________________

9. pertaining to the structure of a body (adj.)

9. A__________________

10. a dull, heavy book

10. T__________________

11. split in two (adj.)

11. D__________________

12. to split in two

12. D__________________

13. a condensation, summary, or representation of the whole

13. E__________________

14. to stand for the whole; to summarize

14. E__________________

15. pertaining to charitable activities (adj.)

15. P__________________

16. out of the norm; odd

16. E__________________

17. one who “plays around”

17. P__________________

18. arousing sexual desire (adj.)

18. A__________________ or A__________________

19. science of the manner in which groups function

19. S__________________

20. self-isolated from contact with people

20. A__________________

KEY: 1–sociological, 2–semantic or semantical, 3–bibliophile, 4–

philander, 5–philological, 6–entomological, 7–Anglophile, 8–atom,

9–anatomical, 10–tome, 11–dichotomous, 12–dichotomize, 13–

epitome,

14–epitomize,

15–philanthropic,

16–eccentric,

17–

philanderer, 18–aphrodisiac or aphrodisiacal, 19–sociology, 20–

asocial

CHAPTER REVIEW

A. Do you recognize the words?

1. Student of the stars and other heavenly phenomena:

(a) geologist, (b) astronomer, (c) anthropologist

2. Student of plant life:

(a) botanist, (b) zoologist, (c) biologist

3. Student of insect life:

(a) sociologist, (b) entomologist, (c) etymologist

4. Student of the meaning and psychology of words:

(a) philologist, (b) semanticist, (c) etymologist

5. Analysis of living tissue:

(a) autopsy, (b) biopsy, (c) autonomy

6. That which arouses sexual desire:

(a) zodiac, (b) bibliophile, (c) aphrodisiac

7. Self-governing:

(a) autobiographical, (b) autonomous, (c) dichotomous

8. Part that represents the whole:

(a) epitome, (b) dichotomy, (c) metronome

9. One who physically travels in space:

(a) astronomer, (b) astrologer, (c) astronaut

10. One who has extramarital affairs:

(a) cosmonaut, (b) philanderer, (c) philanthropist

KEY: 1–b, 2–a, 3–b, 4–b, 5–b, 6–c, 7–b, 8–a, 9–c, 10–b

B. Can you recognize roots?

ROOT

MEANING

1. anthropos

_________________

EXAMPLE anthropology

2. logos

_________________

EXAMPLE philology

3. astron

_________________

EXAMPLE astronomy

4. nautes

_________________

EXAMPLE astronaut

5. nomos

_________________

EXAMPLE metronome

6. autos

_________________

EXAMPLE autonomy

7. ge (geo-)

_________________

EXAMPLE geology

8. graphein

_________________

EXAMPLE biography

9. opsis, optikos

_________________

EXAMPLE autopsy

10. zoion

_________________

EXAMPLE zodiac

11. tome

_________________

EXAMPLE entomology

12. sectus

_________________

EXAMPLE insect

13. lingua

_________________

EXAMPLE linguistics

14. philein

_________________

EXAMPLE philanthropy

15. sophos

_________________

EXAMPLE philosophy

16. biblion

_________________

EXAMPLE bibliophile

17. Anglus

_________________

EXAMPLE Anglophile

18. socius

_________________

EXAMPLE sociology

19. logos

_________________

EXAMPLE biology

20. bios

_________________

EXAMPLE biopsy

KEY: 1–mankind, 2–word, speech, 3–star, 4–sailor, 5–law, order,

arrangement, 6–self, 7–earth, 8–to write, 9–view, vision, sight, 10–

animal, 11–a cutting, 12–cut, 13–tongue, 14–to love, 15–wise, 16–

book, 17–English, 18–companion, 19–science, study, 20–life

TEASER QUESTIONS FOR THE AMATEUR ETYMOLOGIST

1. Recalling the root sophos, wise, and thinking of the English word

moron, write the name given to a second-year student in high school or

college: __________________. Etymologically, what does this word mean?

__________________

2. Based on the root sophos, what word means worldly-wise?

__________________.

3. Thinking of bibliophile, define bibliomaniac: __________________.

4. These three words, based on lingua, tongue, use prefixes we have

discussed. Can you define each one?

(a) monolingual

__________________

(b) bilingual

__________________

Can you, now, guess at the meaning of multilingual? __________________.

How about linguist? __________________.

What do you suppose the Latin root multus means? __________________.

(Think of multitude.)

5. With Anglophile as your model, can you figure out what country and

its people, customs, etc. each of the following admires?

(a) Francophile

__________________

(b) Russophile

__________________

(d) Germanophile

__________________

(e) Nipponophile

__________________

(f) Sinophile

__________________

6. Using roots you have learned, and with bibliophile as your model, can

you construct a word for:

(a) one who loves males:

__________________

(b) one who loves women:

__________________

(d) one who loves animals:

__________________

(e) one who loves plants:

__________________

(Answers in Chapter 18)

WHERE TO GET NEW IDEAS

People with superior vocabularies, I have submitted, are the people

with ideas. The words they know are verbal symbols of the ideas they are

familiar with—reduce one and you must reduce the other, for ideas

cannot exist without verbalization. Freud once had an idea—and had to

coin a whole new vocabulary to make his idea clear to the world. Those

who are familiar with Freud’s theories know all the words that explain

them—the unconscious, the ego, the id, the superego, rationalization, Oedipus

complex, and so on. Splitting the atom was once a new idea—anyone

familiar with it knew something about fission, isotope, radioactive,

cyclotron, etc.

Remember this: your vocabulary indicates the alertness and range of

your mind. The words you know show the extent of your understanding of

what’s going on in the world. The size of your vocabulary varies directly

with the degree to which you are growing intellectually.

You have covered so far in this book several hundred words. Having

learned these words, you have begun to think of an equal number of new

ideas. A new word is not just another pattern of syllables with which to

clutter up your mind—a new word is a new idea to help you think, to help

you understand the thoughts of others, to help you express your own

thoughts, to help you live a richer intellectual life.

Realizing these facts, you may become impatient. You will begin to

doubt that a book like this can cover all the ideas that an alert and

intellectually mature adult wishes to be acquainted with. Your doubt is

well-founded.

One of the chief purposes of this book is to get you started, to give you

enough of a push so that you will begin to gather momentum, to stimulate

you enough so that you will want to start gathering your own ideas.

Where can you gather them? From good books on new topics.

How can you gather them? By reading on a wide range of new subjects.

Reference has repeatedly been made to psychology, psychiatry, and

psychoanalysis in these pages. If your curiosity has been piqued by these

references, here is a good place to start. In these fields there is a

tremendous and exciting literature—and you can read as widely and as

deeply as you wish.

What I would like to do is offer a few suggestions as to where you might

profitably begin—how far you go will depend on your own interest.

I suggest, first, half a dozen older books (older, but still immensely

valuable and completely valid) available at any large public library.

The Human Mind, by Karl A. Menninger

Mind and Body, by Flanders Dunbar

The Mind in Action, by Eric Berne

Understandable Psychiatry, by Leland E. Hinsie

A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis, by Sigmund Freud

Emotional Problems of Living, by O. Spurgeon English and Gerald H. J.

Pearson

Next, I suggest books on some of the newer approaches in psychology.

These are available in inexpensive paperback editions as well as at your

local library.

I Ain’t Well—But I Sure Am Better, by Jess Lair, Ph.D.

The Disowned Self, by Nathaniel Brandon

A Primer of Behavioral Psychology, by Adelaide Bry

I’m OK—You’re OK, by Thomas A. Harris, M.D.

Freedom to Be and Man the Manipulator, by Everett L. Shostrum

Games People Play, by Eric Berne, M.D.

Love and Orgasm, Pleasure and The Language of the Body, by Alexander

Lowen, M.D.

The Transparent Self, by Sydney M. Jourard

Don’t Say Yes When You Want to Say No, by Herbert Fensterheim and

Jean Baer

Gestalt Therapy Verbatim, by Frederick S. Perls

Born to Win, by Muriel James and Dorothy Jongeward

Joy and Here Comes Everybody, by William C. Schutz

The Fifty-Minute Hour, by Robert Lindner

(End of Session 13)

1 Companion itself has an interesting etymology—Latin com-, with, plus panis, bread. If you are

social, you enjoy breaking bread with companions. Pantry also comes from panis, though far more

than bread is stored there.