What words, names of places, or customs do Americans use today that come from somewhere other than English culture?
2007-07-28 10:00:26 · 11 answers · asked by austin 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Just a few:
Holidays (official and unofficial): Martin Luther King Day, Easter, St Patrick's Day, Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Arbor Day, Thanksgiving
Christmas Trees
Statue of Liberty
Iced Tea
Cosmetic dentistry
No royalty
Drive on the right side of the road
State Names:
Alaska
Texas
California
Utah
Nevada
Arizona
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Dakotas(N and S)
Montana
Wyoming
Colorado
Kansas
Ohio
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Michigan
Illinois
Indiana
Arkansas
Kansas
Iowa
Tennessee
Louisiana
Mississippi
Alabama
Kentucky
Missouri
Major Cities:
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Seattle
San Diego
Phoenix
Las Vegas
Denver
Sturgis (you have to be a biker to appreciate this one)
St. Louis
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
Memphis
Indianapolis
Atlanta
New Orleans
Miami
Orlando
Tallahassee
And that's just to name a few.
Bourbon whiskey might be the ultimate.
baseball
basketball
American Football
Karaoke
Country music
Blues music
Creole cuisine
Cajun Cuisine
Fusion
Jazz
Hip Hop
Rap
2007-07-28 11:44:11 · answer #1 · answered by Michael J 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The days of the week come from Norse gods. "Amok" is from Indonesia. The slang phrase: "That's a lot of hooey" has its origins in the Maori language of New Zealand where a "Hui" is a meeting of tribal chieftains.
"Assassin" is from an Arabic word. Even the slang word "brat" is the Russian word for little brother. The American form of English, used in the adoption of words into it, is a reflection of America being a nation of immigrants. The English used here will grow to include more of those words from foreign languages as time goes by.
2007-07-28 21:28:23 · answer #2 · answered by desertviking_00 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The utensils we use are from Assyrian culture. The math/Algebra/Trig came from there as well. Legal terminology is latin based. Taking your shoes off before entering is an oriental custom. Praying before a meal is a Roman Catholic custom. Barter system started in Egypt/first currency. Playing sports in an arena came from the Greek as well as theatre. Soccer is the oldest international organized sport started in Assyria which is now Iraq/Iran and Syria. St. Pattys Day is of course from the Irish. Cinco De Mayo from the Spanish culture. OLE Ole Ole...
2007-07-28 17:55:13 · answer #3 · answered by Seraphity 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Many place names are of Native American origin, such as Michigan, Wyoming, Ohio.
Many of the other immigrant groups added place names and food items.
Spanish influence in the west provided Sierra Nevada, Montana, Baja along with taco, burrito, pico de gallo
The French provided many place names in Maine and Louisiana along with the Creole French that is still spoken in the bayous
The Jewish immigrants brought a lot of Yiddish words into American speech - chutzpah, kvetch, kibbitz and kosher
The Italians gave us calzone, pizza, marinara sauce, arabiata.
There are many parts of the US that have populations descended from specific immigrant groups who have left their culture firmly established. Finns in the upper peninsula of Michigan, Scandinavians around Minneapolis, Germans in Ohio, Irish in Boston.
And although "English" is the language of the majority of Americans, its grammar, syntax and pronunciation is often different from the English spoken in the mother country due to the influence of all those other ethnic groups
2007-07-29 18:04:20 · answer #4 · answered by marguerite L 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Louisana is a good place to start. The name traces back to a French King. New Orlenes, Lafayette, Baton Rouge (Red Stick) are of French oringin as are many other places in the area. Anything Cajun like food and culture is of French origin. Mississippi River is of Ojibwe origin.
2007-07-28 17:19:43 · answer #5 · answered by JuanB 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The first thing that comes to mind is all the place names in the U.S. that are of Native American origin . . . many states names: Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota. Lakes: Michigan, Huron, Erie. Rivers: Meonomonee, Kinnickinnic, Milwaukee. Cities: Milwaukee, Chicago, Ishpeming.
Many of our customs come from our immigrant forefathers:
Christmas tree - Germany; St. Patrick's Day - Ireland.
Then, there are all kinds of words that come from other languages:
Tete-a-tete, liaison, rendezvous - French
schmuck, putz, chutzpa - Yiddish
Struedel, Kringle, schnitzel - German
. . . you get the point. America is truly a melting pot . . . of people, culture and language! :D
2007-07-28 17:19:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Alot of the names of states, cities, and landmarks are named after the indiginous people of the United States. For example: Kansas, Oklahoma, Alaska, Hawaii, just to name a few.
2007-07-28 17:19:38 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Words that have different suffixes, prefixes, or letter combinations common of other languages are often clues, such as beautiful. (eau is French).
2007-07-28 17:24:58 · answer #8 · answered by Sarah 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those from native American, French, German, Spanish, Dutch...
2007-07-28 17:53:24 · answer #9 · answered by rosie recipe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
empire/imperial-Latin
racoon-Native American
Laramie (county and city)- French
vandalism-Vandals
many more
2007-07-28 18:26:04 · answer #10 · answered by Chase 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋