Words Too Have Family Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ojibwe

The Ojibwe language, also known as Ojibwa or Chippewa, is an Algonquian language spoken by the Ojibwe people, who are primarily found in the Great Lakes region of North America. The language is part of the larger Algonquian language family, which includes other indigenous languages like Cree, Algonquin, and Blackfoot. Ojibwe has several dialects, with variations in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammatical structures.

Several words came from the Ojibwe language into English, primarily through transliterations and mostly for terms related to flora, fauna, and cultural practices. The Ojibwe word for chipmunk is 'ajidamoo', and it is believed that this term was anglicized into "chipmunk" in English. Other common words from Ojibwe that made their way into English are 'totem', 'Winnebago', and 'wendigo'.

Answer: Hebrew

The Hebrew language is a Semitic language with a rich history that stretches back thousands of years. It is the original language of the Bible. Hebrew is considered a classical language and holds significant religious and cultural importance for Jewish communities worldwide. Modern Hebrew, known as "Ivrit", has evolved from its ancient roots and incorporates many loanwords from other languages. It is characterized by a simplified grammatical structure compared to classical Hebrew. Today, Hebrew is the primary language of communication in Israel and is spoken by millions of people as their first language.

However, Hebrew has also lent some words to the English language. 'Jubilee' came from the Hebrew word 'yovel'. Some other words that made it over from that rich, ancient language include 'behemoth', 'leviathan', 'bedlam', and 'sabbatical'.

Answer: Farsi (Persian)

Farsi, also known as Persian, is an Indo-Iranian language with a significant cultural and historical heritage. It serves as the official language of Iran and is spoken by a considerable portion of the population in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The language belongs to the Iranian branch of the larger Indo-Iranian languages within the Indo-European language family. Farsi is written in the Persian script, which is derived from the Arabic script but includes additional characters to represent sounds specific to Persian. With a rich history dating back to ancient times, Farsi has been a major literary and cultural force, particularly during the Islamic Golden Age.

The roots of the word 'assassin' can be traced back to Farsi. Incorrectly attributed to the drug 'hashish', assassins were the group led by Hassan-i Sabbah to commit political killings, and the words 'asaas' (God) in Arabic and 'iaan' (committed) in Farsi were combined to form the name of the group. Other words with Farsi roots are 'spinach', 'beige', 'algebra', and 'toxic'.

Answer: Russian

The Russian language is a Slavic language with a rich history and widespread geographic distribution. It is the most widely spoken Slavic language and one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Russian serves as the official language of Russia and is also spoken in neighboring countries that were once part of the Soviet Union, for example, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and the Baltic states. Historically, the development of the Russian language can be traced back to the medieval state of Kievan Rus. There, the Old East Slavic language was spoken. Over time, linguistic and cultural influences from various sources, including Byzantine and Old Church Slavonic, shaped the language.

The word 'tundra' was borrowed from Russian, who in turn, got it from the Kildin Sami word 'tunntre'. The word 'taiga' has a similar story, though the original origin was from Mongolian. 'Mammoth', 'sable', and 'beluga' all are borrowed from the Russian language as well.

Answer: Turkish

Turkish is a Turkic language spoken primarily in Turkey, where it serves as the official language. It also has significant communities of speakers in Cyprus, Bulgaria, Greece, and various other countries, particularly among Turkish diaspora communities. It is written in the Latin alphabet, introduced as part of language reforms initiated by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the early 20th century. Prior to this reform, Turkish was written in the Ottoman Turkish script, a version of the Arabic script. Turkish is a musical language that exhibits vowel harmony, a linguistic phenomenon where vowels within a word harmonize or share certain features. The vowel system is divided into front and back vowels, and harmony plays a role in word formation and conjugation.

The word 'yogurt' comes from Turkish and is borrowed directly. Interestingly, the word "café", which recently came from French, originates in Turkish from the word 'kahve' which means coffee. 'Pastrami', 'balaclava' and 'kiosk' all have Turkish roots as well.

Answer: Cantonese

Cantonese is a Chinese language spoken primarily in the southern Chinese region of Guangdong, including the cities of Guangzhou (Canton), Hong Kong, and Macau. It is one of the major Chinese languages, alongside Mandarin. Cantonese is known for its distinct pronunciation, vocabulary, and linguistic features that set it apart from Mandarin. Cantonese is a tonal language, like Mandarin, but it has six or nine tones compared to Mandarin's four. Also, Cantonese has a more complex sound system with a larger number of initial consonants and final consonants compared to Mandarin. However, the two share a written language with a few variations.

We have Cantonese to thank for the word 'typhoon', from the phrase 'tai fung' which means 'great wind'. It also probably contributes to similar words in both Greek and Latin. 'Monsoon', 'chow', 'yen' (not the currency), and 'tong' all trace their roots back to Cantonese as well.

Answer: Portuguese

Portuguese is a Romance language with roots in the Latin language and is spoken primarily in Portugal, Brazil, and several African countries. It evolved from Galician-Portuguese, a language spoken in the northwest region of the Iberian Peninsula. Over time, it differentiated from Galician and became the basis for modern Portuguese. Like the other Romance languages, Portuguese been significantly influenced by Latin. Portuguese has distinctive nasal vowels and complex vowel sounds. The language is known for its open and closed vowel distinctions. There also exists a differentiation between regional dialects, primarily the ones spoken in Portugal and Brazil.

Though many Portuguese words have their roots in Latin, several words are very distinctly Portuguese. These include 'breeze', which comes from the word 'briza' of similar meaning. Other words that are borrowed from Portuguese are 'commando', 'tank' (as in a water tank), 'Baroque', and 'caste'.

Answer: Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by the inhabitants of the region now known as Scandinavia during the Viking Age from approximately the 8th to 11th centuries. It represents the common linguistic ancestor of the modern North Germanic languages which are spoken primarily in the Scandinavian countries. Old Norse is particularly well-documented through various written texts, including sagas, poems, and runic inscriptions. The Old Norse writing system used the runic alphabet, known as the Younger Futhark. Over time, the Latin alphabet also became used for written Old Norse as the Christian influences began to take hold.

Many words in English originate in Old Norse. 'Husband' comes from a similar word 'husbondi' which means 'master of the house'. Other interesting words of Old Norse origins are 'outlaw', ugly', 'cake', and 'shrimp'.

Answer: Hindi

Hindi is one of the official languages of India and is spoken as a first language by a significant portion of the country's population. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family and is closely related to other languages such as Urdu. Hindi is written in the Devanagari letters, a flowery script characterized by its distinctive characters for vowels and consonants. Its vocabulary has been influenced by Sanskrit, the ancient Indo-Aryan language, and also includes loanwords from Persian, Arabic, and other languages due to historical interactions.

The word 'shampoo' is derived from the Hindi word 'campo' which means 'press!' referring to the massages done at Turkish baths using aromatic oils that cleansed. Other words from Hindi include 'thug', 'cheetah', 'dinghy', and 'bandana'.

Answer: Sinhalese

Sinhalese, also known as Sinhala, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken predominantly in Sri Lanka, where it serves as the official and national language. With roots tracing back to ancient times, it belongs to the larger modern Indo-Aryan language family, which includes languages like Hindi, Bengali, and Gujarati. The Sinhalese script is written from left to right and has its distinct set of characters representing consonants and vowels. Sinhalese has undergone various historical influences, including interactions with South Indian languages and the influence of Buddhism, which has left a profound impact on the vocabulary and expressions used in the language.

Conversely, Sinhalese has had a minor influence on the English language as well. The word 'anaconda' comes from the Sinhalese word 'henakandaya' which means 'whip-snake' and is derived from two other Sinhalese words. Similarly, 'serendipity' and 'tourmaline' also come from Sinhalese. However, not many words do.