T time!
Wait! Don’t leave!
Teach comes from the Old English taecan, to demonstrate or point out, or to train or persuade. Yes,
it was certainly a flexible word. It comes from the Proto Germanic taikijan, to show, and the Proto Indo European deik, also to show (as well as the origin word for diction). I
know I throw the word interesting around a lot (I swear, I mean it!), but I’m
going to do it again: interestingly, in Old English, taecan was not used to
indicate teaching like a teacher would. It was used in that “show” way I
mentioned above, rather than specifically for instruction. The word they used
for that was laeran (before you ask,
yes, that’s where learn comes from).
Sources
Tony Jebson’s page on the
Origins of Old English
University of Texas at Austin
Linguistic Research Center
I like that the original word for teach actually meant show. In many ways, showing someone how to do something is the best way to teach.
ReplyDeleteShow don't tell.
ReplyDeleteOf course it meant show. And that's what we're missing in modern education, eh? ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's about time I made it to your blog during this challenge!
True Heroes from A to Z
I like Alex's comment.
ReplyDeleteOften I think people esp. kids, learn more from what we show (our actions) than from what we try to "teach" them.
ReplyDeleteConsider me schooled. :)
ReplyDeleteI learn better if someone shows me what to do, gives me a hands on lesson, rather than just lectures me. So the original meaning of the word behind teach makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI learn better if someone shows me what to do, gives me a hands on lesson, rather than just lectures me. So the original meaning of the word behind teach makes sense.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of teaching, my oldest son used a word incorrectly last night then told me I was wrong when I corrected him on his usage.
ReplyDeleteAnd I want to say, "Who has a degree in English?"
But his attitude is "You're old and you don't know what you're talking about anymore."
Like -all- of the rules and definitions have changed in the last 20 years.
Interesting! ;) Sorry, I couldn't resist. I DO mean it, though - I like that 'teach' and 'learn' are related that far back in time.
ReplyDeleteTaecan is yet another good old term to keep in mind for a character name!
ReplyDeleteThat's why teach and learn are so different? I wondered that. And the whole thing in teacher education now is about letting the students discover, so the teacher is "showing" more than telling.
ReplyDeleteFascinating. Now I know more about the word that describes what I do for a living.
ReplyDelete