高中英语复习北师大版选修六《Module 6 unit 16 TheOriginsofEnglishSurnames》课件%2B学案
TheOriginsofEnglishSurnames.docx
TheOriginsofEnglishSurnames.pptx
　　The Origins of English Surnames
　　The Chinese were the first nation of people to use surnames about 2,500 years ago. Western countries did not start to use them until about 1,000 years ago. Until that time, people were simply known only by their given names.
　　In England, this was not a problem until the French invaded in the 11th century. During this period, most English names became unpopular and only a few popular names were available, such as William, Henry, John, Robert, Richard and Thomas. Eventually, people had to start taking a surname to distinguish themselves from each other. Today, everyone in English-speantries has a surname, but where did they come from?
　　Father’s name
　　Often a son got his surname from his father by adding “s” or “son” to his father’s given name. Robertson, Williamson, Jackson, Thomson, Richardson, Roberts, Williams and Richards are all common surnames.
　　Occupation
　　Other surnames were formed from a person’s job such as Cook, Smith, Gardener, Baker, Shepherd, Taylor, Butcher or Carpenter. So, the local baker may have been called Henry Baker, the local carpenter William Carpenter and the local smith Henry Smith.
　　Location
　　Sometimes people took place names, perhaps the name of their village, for example, for a surname. Often people were given the name of a physical feature near their home such as Hill, Field, Wood, Brown or Green. The man who lived by the wood might be called Jack Wood and the man who lived on the top of a nearby hill might be called John Hill.
　　Characteristics
　　Often, the other people in the village gave a person his surname. If a person had an unusual physical characteristic, it became part of his name. So, a man who was unusually short might be called John Short or John Little. If he was tall, he may have been called William Tall or William Long. Other common nicknames were White ( for grey hair), Red ( for red hair) and Stout ( meaning fat). A son or daughter might inherit a nickname as a surname even if they themselves did not share the particular characteristic. They probably didn’t lit they just had to put up with it! Of course, over the years many of these surnames have changed slightly but many are still used today even though most people have forgotten their meanings.
　　Notes:
　　surname /ˈsɜ:neɪm/  n. 姓              baker /ˈbeɪkə(r)/ n. 面包师
　　invade /ɪnˈveɪd/ vt. 侵略，侵犯          nickname /ˈnɪkneɪm/ n. 绰号，外号
　　occupation /ˌɒkjuˈpeɪʃn/ n. 职业，工作    inherit /ɪnˈherɪt/ vt. 继承
　　Reading task 1:  Read the text quickly and and answer the questions.
　　1. When did people in England first start using surnames?
　　2. Why did people start using surnames?
　　3. What are the different types of English surnames?
　　Reading task 2:  Explain the four main types of English surnames.
　　1. Father's given name