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Pieanne Posted 21 years ago
Vocabulary
Root VS radical
hello, Teachers,
I have a young son who is experiencing his first struggles with the (French) grammar. I attempted to explain what the radical of a verb is by using the image of a plant: the roots stay in the ground (= radical), but the leaves, stems, flowers change, come and go (= endings).In French, both "radical" and "roots" (racines) begin with RA-, so I told him, when you think "RAcine" (root), then it's the RAdical, because, and HERE COMES MY QUESTION, I don't want him to mix both words.
Q: Am I right in thinking that the "root" of a word is related to ethymology, whereas the "radical" of a verb is a grammatical notion? I mean, every word has a root, but only verbs have radicals?
Thanks in advance!
I have a young son who is experiencing his first struggles with the (French) grammar. I attempted to explain what the radical of a verb is by using the image of a plant: the roots stay in the ground (= radical), but the leaves, stems, flowers change, come and go (= endings).In French, both "radical" and "roots" (racines) begin with RA-, so I told him, when you think "RAcine" (root), then it's the RAdical, because, and HERE COMES MY QUESTION, I don't want him to mix both words.
Q: Am I right in thinking that the "root" of a word is related to ethymology, whereas the "radical" of a verb is a grammatical notion? I mean, every word has a root, but only verbs have radicals?
Thanks in advance!
Top answer
Sorry, I may have been too long on this one. So, here's my question: Am I right in thinking that the "root" of a word is related to ethymology, whereas the "radical" of a verb is a grammatical notion? I mean, every word has a root, but only verbs have radicals?
- Sorry, I may have been too long on this one.
- So, here's my question: Am I right in thinking that the "root" of a word is related to ethymology, whereas the "radical" of a verb is a grammatical notion?
- I mean, every word has a root, but only verbs have radicals?
- Thanks in advance!
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12 Answers
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Sorry, I may have been too long on this one.
So, here's my question:
Am I right in thinking that the "root" of a word is related to ethymology, whereas the "radical" of a verb is a grammatical notion? I mean, every word has a root, but only verbs have radicals?
Thanks in advance!
So, here's my question:
Am I right in thinking that the "root" of a word is related to ethymology, whereas the "radical" of a verb is a grammatical notion? I mean, every word has a root, but only verbs have radicals?
Thanks in advance!
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Well, I am niether a teacher nor a linguist, but I can share my understanding of these two words with you. Ready, let's start with 'root'; it is the ultimate starting point for deriving a word, that is, the most basic morphem in a word, but what is a morphem? Let's for example take a word like 'printer.' In 'printer' we have a morphem -er attached to a word 'print'. However, we can not split 'pri
00
Thank you for you reply, X.m!
Don't worry I know what a morphem is (I took a course in the origins of language back in my univerity days), but you DO seem to know quite a lot on the matter!
I wanted to make sure that my son used to right word, and I don't want to see him using "root" when his teacher uses "radical" (the teacher is a bit worrisome...)
Would you simply agree that "ro
Don't worry I know what a morphem is (I took a course in the origins of language back in my univerity days), but you DO seem to know quite a lot on the matter!
I wanted to make sure that my son used to right word, and I don't want to see him using "root" when his teacher uses "radical" (the teacher is a bit worrisome...)
Would you simply agree that "ro
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I didn't respond earlier because I did not know, Pieanne. Having just done an internet search, I can find no strongly distinguishing definition. 'Radical' seems often to be used as the adjective for 'root'.
For example:
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Radical, n.
1. (Philol.)
(a) A primitive word; a radix, root, or simpl
For example:
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :
Radical, n.
1. (Philol.)
(a) A primitive word; a radix, root, or simpl
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Thank you, Mister M.
At least, I'll have a few impressive words at hand if my son's teacher doesn't agree...
At least, I'll have a few impressive words at hand if my son's teacher doesn't agree...
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Bonjour, cher ami
Once you talk about etymology(étymologie en fraçais), it is a totally different domain which is about the origins(not the roots) of the words,and their historical developments. In that jargon, the applied word is 'etymon', neither 'root' nor 'radical' or any other word, so 'root' is the word applied in 'morphology' (and this is where grammar stop
Once you talk about etymology(étymologie en fraçais), it is a totally different domain which is about the origins(not the roots) of the words,and their historical developments. In that jargon, the applied word is 'etymon', neither 'root' nor 'radical' or any other word, so 'root' is the word applied in 'morphology' (and this is where grammar stop
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Cher ami, (I assume you're a man?)
(and I' m a " chère amie"!)
Thank you very much for explaining all this to me! I have a limited experience and knowledge of all the things you seem to know so well... It's just that I'm used to saying, let's say "the indo-european root of this word", but I 'll sure say nothing esle about the matter!
When we talk about the ethymology of a noun/name
(and I' m a " chère amie"!)
Thank you very much for explaining all this to me! I have a limited experience and knowledge of all the things you seem to know so well... It's just that I'm used to saying, let's say "the indo-european root of this word", but I 'll sure say nothing esle about the matter!
When we talk about the ethymology of a noun/name
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