Garage
The word garage still looks recognisably French. Actually, it is spelt just in the same way as in French. It’s not the same with the sound. Different English speakers pronounce it differently. The ALD lists five different pronunciations, but there may well be more. The stress can be on the first or on the second syllable, the first vowel may be the vowel of bad or schwa , the second vowel may be the vowel of large or the vowel of bid, and the final consonant may be either the one of beige or the one of badge . Virtually, you get a whole range from very ‘foreign’ to very ‘English’, with American English tending towards the foreign and British English towards the English side. However foreign you pronounce the word, it will never be ‘really’ French, as your /r/ will definitely be English.
Gate
In the North of England, in York, for example, you sometimes get street names which contain the word gate, like Micklegate or Gallowgate . It does not mean that this is a street at the entrance to which there was a gate, it actually means ‘way’. This is a Scandinavian word. Not so with names like Newgate or Aldgate in London. Here, gate actually means what it usually means, ‘portal’, and both names mark places where there used to be a gate in earlier times. (Crystal 2005: 75)
Gavagai
A completely hypothetical word. The logician Quine invites us to imagine a linguist studying a newly discovered tribe. A rabbit scurries by and a native shouts: “Gavagai!” What does “gavagai” mean? Of course, it could mean ‘rabbit’ but it could also mean a number of other things: it could mean a particular kind of rabbit, could refer to any furry thing, it could be the name given by the natives to this particular rabbit, it could mean ‘scurrying’ or ‘scurrying rabbit’, it could just be an expression of surprise like “Jesus!”, etc. The problem is the same when the child is the linguist and the parents are the natives. (Pinker 1995: 153)
Gay
‘Mark is generous, gay, good-humoured and good-looking. What more can a woman expect of a man?’ Well, today we would probably think that being gay is not a feature a woman would necessarily look for in a man, but in 1968, when this text was written, it was, gay then meaning ‘merry’, ‘cheerful’, without the sexual overtones which are now prevalent. (Flavell & Flavell 3 2005: 297)
Geek
The exact origin of the word, now often used to refer to a computer fanatic but used before for anybody who was socially awkward and overly intellectual, is unknown, although it is probably related to the German word Geck . The term, which is generally used disparagingly, is now sometimes used by computer experts as a term of praise for other computer experts, and this twist makes it really relevant to the study of language. Words such as nigger used by black people to refer to themselves or gays used by homosexuals to refer to themselves tell a similar tale. What is less known is that Tory was also a term of abuse in its beginnings, used alongside robber or outlaw. (Flavell & Flavell 3 2005: 291)
Get into a scrape
If you get into an embarrassing situation, usually as a result of your own carelessness, you get into a scrape. Scrapes are holes which deer dig out with their feet. If you inadvertently fall into one, you are really in a scrape: you will have to try and get out of it and will have to face the animal’s fury at the same time. (Flavell & Flavell 3 2000: 164-5)
Get the sack
If you get the sack, you are dismissed from work. The idiom goes back to the times when a workman used to keep all his tools in a sack. The sack was handed over to the employer on taking up the job. When the workman was dismissed, his employer would return the workman’s sack of tools. (Flavell & Flavell 3 2000: 161-2)
GI
Why are American soldiers called GIs? Remarkably, GI originally stood for galvanized iron! So where do the soldiers come in? Galvanised iron was the army clerk’s term for items such as trash cans issued by an official US military department. It was then extended to all articles issued and finally to the soldiers themselves. In the process, GI was reinterpreted as standing for `general issue´ or `government issue´. I wonder how many GIs know why they are called GIs. (Morris 1976: 555)
Girl
Another of those words with a curious history. It used to refer to young people in general, and only later was restricted to the female sex, i.e. its meaning was narrowed. At the same time, its meaning was broadened, and it is now used not only to refer to young people but also to middle-aged women: “I’ll invite some of the girls from the office”. This use is frowned upon by many, but women being referred to as girls often do not mind, and sometimes do it themselves. (cf. Gramley/Pätzold 1992: 33-4)
Good-bye
Such a common expression that we are hardly aware we use it when we use it, let alone of its original meaning, which is `God be with you’. If this is not exactly transparent, Bye! is even more opaque. (cf. Hudson 2 1996: 133)
Gorillaz
Apparently a made-up name for a pop group (Cook 2004: 187). Actually, the spelling makes some sense in that it faithfully reflects the pronunciation. The at the end of gorillas is voiced, i.e. it is pronounced like the letter in zoom or razor . In so far as spelling is to reflect pronunciation, it would be logical to spell iz and waz, leavez and roadz, monkeyz and gorillaz. And, as is actually done, Headrillaz , Gravediggaz , Metalheadz and Gorillaz.
Gotten
A from which is only found in American English, not in British English, and one which is apt to puzzle learners of English who have learnt the British variety. At least, it puzzles me. It is not simply the American equivalent of got , but exists alongside got, with a difference. The theory goes like this (cf. Trudgill/Hannah 4 2002: 57): formerly, gotten was restricted to being used in the sense of ‘obtained´: “I’ve gotten a new car since I last saw you”. Now, however, it can be used in all meanings: “We have gotten home late”, “They’ve gotten me into trouble again”, with one exception: it cannot be used to mean ‘have’: “I’ve got plenty to eat.” Got can be used if have is used metaphorically: “I’ve got the idea now.” Still puzzling, if you ask me.
Grace
If you take grace for your base, you can add inflections to form graceful or gracious. From these, you can derive gracefulness and gracefully and graciousness and graciously. That makes six new words. You can also derive the form disgrace, from which you can derive disgraceful, disgracefulness and disgracefully. That makes ten. Furthermore, you can form ungraceful, ungracefully and ungracefulness, graceless, gracelessness and gracelessly and ungracious, ungraciously and ungraciousness. Finally, you can turn grace (noun) into grace (verb) and disgrace (noun) into disgrace (verb) through the process of conversion. That makes twenty-one. As a student once said, “English has very little grammar.” (Crystal 1995: 198)
Grammar
The origin of the word grammar is the same as the origin of the word glamour! However, grammar is much older than glamour. It came into English in the Late Middle Ages and was used to refer to anything connected with letters, with knowledge derived from books. To the illiterate, it came to represent the mysterious realm of the scholar and stood for ‘learning’ but also for the ‘incomprehensible’. From there it was a short step to ‘witchcraft’ and ‘black magic’, and from there it later gradually shifted towards ‘enchantment’, which is already close to the modern meaning. But what about the mysterious change from /r/ to /l/? Actually, it is less mysterious than it seems to be. It is a switch which is found quite frequently in the history of language. The two sounds are apparently perceived to be quite similar. Other cases where this shift has come about are purple from purpure and pilgrim from peregrinus (Crystal 2007: 152).
Green
Is there anything the word green, simple and straightforward as it is, can tell us about language? Yes, there is. It can tell us something about language change. The vocabulary of a language changes. That is obvious enough. Words come and go. But the vocabulary of a language changes even more in less obvious ways, by already existing words acquiring new meanings and new forms. And that’s where green comes in. It now does not only denote the colour, but also ‘environmentally friendly’. You can have green consumers , green products, green shoppers, green voters, green policies, green regulations, etc. You can buy greenly or use your funds greenly, products can be developed for long-greened customers, you can speak of a product’s greenness, and something can drive the greening of world industry. (cf. Gramley/Pätzold 1992:19)
Groggy
For more than two hundred years, English sailors used to be given a daily allowance of rum, a privilege which was not abolished until 1970. In 1740, Admiral Edward Vernon issued an order that the sailors’ rum was to be mixed with water to prevent drunkenness. The admiral’s nickname was Old Grog, from a cloak made of grogram he habitually wore. As a result of the admiral’s order, it was more difficult to get drunk, and a sailor who managed to get drunk anyway was described as groggy. (Flavell & Flavell 3 2005: 190-1)
Guy
The word guy, although it sounds improbable, really derives from Guy Fawkes of Gunpowder Plot fame. At the beginning of the 19th century, the effigies which were burnt on the 5th of November began to be referred to as guys. The word then became extended to include any person of grotesque appearance, particularly one who was bizarrely dressed or who looked a fright. This meaning weakened and the word became a slang term to mean ‘fellow’ in general. Now it is simply a colloquial word and can refer to the nicest of persons. (Flavell & Flavell 3 2005: 85-6)