What is the origin of the word alphabet?
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Origin of the word Jubilee?
The Levites sound the trumpet of Jubilee (1873 illustration) J ubilee is an interesting example of a word that evolved to cover two distinct but connected meanings.
What is Passover? Where does the word come from?
The Seder is the special meal that celebrates Passover
How are French words pronounced in English?
Patisserie is a typical example of a French 'loanword' There are several thousand French words French in the English language. Their pronunciation can be tricky because in many cases there are no formal rules about the correct way to do this By convention, pronunciation of French words generally defers to the source. Ballet, for example, has a silent ‘t’, rather than a sounded one as in the Spanish equivalentl. Charles de Gaulle keeps his silent’s’ while Prince Charles becomes 'Charle' in spoken French. Anomalies There are many anomalies . Logic might suggest that a chaise lounge would be pronounced the same way as the lounge it is in. Some common nouns have been completely anglicized like the hard ‘s’ in Paris . Unfortunately, for English language learners there is no absolute rule as to when this occurs. The key is comprehension. The English pronunciation of the words Croissant and pan au chocolat approximate to the original French but neither requires ...
Five popular phrases associated with the Titanic?
Wallace Hartley, leader of the band that played on Few events have captured the public imagination like the sinking of the Titanic on the night of the 14th April 1912. Five phrases associated with the disaster are still in common use.
