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Hi, readers!
Have you ever made a slam dunk in basketball? No? Well, I have! When I was in junior high school, I dunked the ball often—though it was on a small basketball hoop for little kids. Any junior high school student could reach the hoop there! But it was so much fun, and it made me feel like Michael Jordan!
I’m telling you this because I recently played basketball again after a long time. It reminded me of my slam dunk days and made me curious about the word “dunk.” I did some research, and here’s what I found.
The word “dunk” comes from a very old word, “TENG,” which means to soak or dip. For example, when you dunk bread in your coffee, you are soaking it in the drink, just like the word suggests.
“TENG” is also related to the English word “stain,” which happens when something is soaked in a bad liquid. Another word from “TENG” is “tint,” which happens when something is soaked in ink. And there’s also “tinge,” which can mean a small color or feeling left behind. For example, you might say, “Her comment had a tinge of jealousy,” but not a “tint of jealousy.” It’s a little different!
Did you know the famous painter Tintoretto’s name comes from the Italian word “tintore,” meaning “dyer”? It’s related to “TENG,” the same ancient word!
Isn’t it interesting how one old word is connected to so many other words in English and Italian?
Finally, why not try playing a sport you enjoyed in the past, even if you haven’t played it in a while? You might be surprised at how fun it is, even if you can’t make a slam dunk anymore!
Until next time,
Jiro.
私立学校に英語教師として勤務中、40代半ばに差し掛かったころ、荒れたクラスを立て直す策として、生徒に公言して英検1級に挑戦することを思い立つ。同様の挑戦を繰り返し、退職までに英検一級（検定連合会長賞）、TOEIC満点、国連英検SA級、フランス語一級、スペイン語一級（文科大臣賞）、ドイツ語一級、放送大学大学院修士号などの成果を得る。
アメリカで生徒への対応法を学ぶ為に研修（地銀の助成金）。最新の心理学に触れた。4都県での全発表、勤務校での教員への研修を英語で行う。現在も特別選抜クラスの授業を全て英語で行っている。「どうやって単語を覚えればいいですか？」という良くある質問に答える為、印欧祖語からの派生に基づく「生徒には見せたくない語源英単語集」を執筆中。完成間近。常日頃洋書の読破で様々な思考にふれているが、そうして得た発想の一つを生かして書いた論文がコロナ対策論文として最近入賞。賞品の牛肉に舌鼓をうっている。元英検面接委員