TOEFL Vocabulary

The English language spoken today originated in a group of languages called Indo-European. Germanic, from which English can be traced, was a dialect of this language, just like ancient Greek and Latin. Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, began with the migration of Germanic tribes into Britain in the fifth century A.D. Latin, Old Norse, and Anglo-Norman French influenced this language into becoming what has been termed Middle-English.

Middle English lived between the twelfth and the fifteenth centuries. During this stage there was a significant influence of French. After the Norman conquest of 1066, French became the language of the court, administration and culture, while English became the language of the common people. Thus, during these three centuries, the two languages coexisted and interbred.

Modern English

Modern English began its course in the sixteenth century. The invention of the printing press brought forth a standardization of spelling, while a direct influence of Latin and a little Greek also happened. With the colonization of territories by the British empire came the development of English dialects and the contribution of other languages to the English vocabulary.

Academic language has for centuries been dominated by words whose roots extend back to Latin and, to a lesser extent, Greek. Words like "fragment," "science," "mathematics," "scholar," and "academia" are just a few examples from a vast list of English words which stem back to these ancient languages. Since the TOEFL seeks to test an individual's knowledge of standard and academic English, mastering the Latin and Greek radicals will provide you with a real advantage.