What season is it in October? If you ask people from the UK, they will tell you it's "autumn". Why does this season have two names in English? According to Dictionary.com, both words have been around for a long time, but neither of them was the first to describe this season. During this season, crops(庄稼)would become ripe(成熟)and farmers would have a big harvest(丰收).
Then, in the 1600s, more people left their farms and moved to cities. With fewer people farming, the word "harvest" became less useful. They knew leaves fell from trees during the season, so people started calling it "the fall of the leaf', or "fall" for short.
It gradually replaced(替代)"fall" as the word for this season.
At the same time, British people were making their first trips to North America. They brought both the words "fall" and "autumn" with them.
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A. English speakers needed a different name for the season. B. The season in October is autumn. C. But at the end of the 1600s, "autumn" from the French word, came to England. D. So in Old English, this season was simply called "harvest". E. That's why today's Americans have two names for one season. F. But if you go to the US, you will find that people use both "autumn" and "fall". G. Why is it called both "fall" and "autumn"? |
