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I am looking for something in particular that maybe you can help me with.
I'd like to find a website that provides an emailed 'word of the day' or 'word of the week' for children, and provides not only the definition of the word, but also the root of a word, e.g., Middle English, French, Latin, etc.
My son is fifteen years old. He wants to increase his English vocabulary. He is an American, but has lived half his life in the French-speaking part of Switzerland - Neuchatel to be exact. He is fluent in English, and in French and has taken two years of Latin. A 'word of the day' for children which provides the definition and the word's root would be perfect for him, since he may already be familiar with the root.
Can you suggest such a website?
I'd recommend A Word A Day. It's not specifically targeted at children, but it does try to provide word origins, and also includes a link to the pronunciation (audio file).
There's also Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster.
I'm not ignoring the OED word of the day, but that doesn't sound like what you're looking for. (Today's word, for what it's worth, was "haggis.")
For a 15-year-old who speaks a couple of languages well, I'd say a children-specific word-of-the-day list isn't necessary. All of the candidates that Dilettante has suggested are good, although I find "A Word a Day" to be too heavy with impractical, rare, or unusual words. Also, I would suggest the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the day because they are usually rather pedestrian, haggis aside (far aside, then into the napkin when your host is not looking).
Grant Barrett said:
haggis aside (far aside, then into the napkin when your host is not looking).
That's brilliant! I like that!
Lennart, you could also try to introduce him to cognates that he might not be aware of. French and English share plenty of 'em. German and English more so. Italian and English some, also. (And all three of those languages (sans English) are official in Switzerland—how 'bout that!)
I have been looking for a Word of the Day web site for children and have been amazed at the lack of options. So far I have only found Word of the Day lists for 4-6th Graders and 6-8th Graders on a site called SuperKids (http://www.superkids.com/aweb/tools/words/wod.shtml).
My children are in Kindergarten and 2nd Grade. Because we use a varied vocabulary with them they might be able to benefit from the 4-6th Grader words, but I was surprised to find the paltry options.
Any Word of the Day lists for young children out there that I may have missed?
Rob, are you familiar with WordGirl? We had the creator of the program on our show earlier this year to play our slang gam.
WordGirl skews a little older than your children, but it sounds as if they might enjoy at least some of it -- if not now, then in the future.
Please do let us know if you find any other helpful resources for that age, OK?
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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