Where Did These Words Come From?

Where Did These Words Come From?

Where Did These Words Come From?
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	high interest, readability grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	4.89

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		travelers, salsa, variation, certain, ever, owner, meals, often, boring, thousand, life, language, important, alligator, hurricane, lasso
	content words:		United States

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Where Did These Words Come From?
By Cathy Pearl

¹     Have you ever eaten a taco or a burrito? Maybe you've eaten salsa at a party. All of these words did not start here in the United States. They are Spanish words that people who speak English borrowed from the Spanish language.

²     English uses many words that started in Spanish. Some people think there are ten thousand words that English has borrowed. A lot of the words are for food. Many of the words are the same in Spanish and English. Then there is the word tuna. It is taken from the Spanish word atun. The English word is a variation or a change from the word used in Spanish.

³     Many words came when people started to explore the Southwestern part of the United States. These people would meet people who were part of the Spanish culture. Many of the words from here have to do with horseback riding. Some of these words are rodeo and lasso. Riding horses was an important part of life for both Mexicans and Americans.

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