This document is a student project from Gymnasium № 9 in Usolie-Sibirskoe, Irkutsk region, prepared by Kasyanov Mihail, Matveev David, Filin Andrey, Hahalev Arseniy, Erantsev Ilya, and Lebedeva Anna, under the guidance of Vladilenovna Ravkovskaya Nadezhda Alfredovna, in September 2026. It traces the etymology of the word 'book' across languages and periods, from Proto-Germanic 'bokiz' to Modern…
This document is a school project created by students of Gymnasium № 9 in Usolie-Sibirskoe, Irkutsk region, in September 2026. It explores the etymology and cultural significance of the word 'book', presenting findings in a structured format with quizzes and examples.
The first section traces the word 'book' through historical periods, listing forms like Proto-Germanic 'bokiz', Latin 'librum', French 'livre', Old English 'boc', and Middle English 'bok', with meanings and translations. It explains connections to beech trees and tree bark, and notes shifts in meaning over centuries, including 19th-century 'magazine' and 20th-century 'telephone directory'.
The document then presents interesting facts about the word's origin, linking it to ancient Germanic writing practices on beechwood tablets. It also covers the verb 'to book', which emerged around 1200, reflecting early English records of land grants.
A section on books in culture examines specific examples: Vincent van Gogh's painting 'The Yellow Books' (1887), Oscar Wilde's 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', Vladimir Vysotsky's 'The Ballad of Books', the film 'The NeverEnding Story' (1984), and installations by Spanish artist Alicia Martín. Each example highlights different symbolic roles of books, from symbols of modern life to portals to other realities.
The document includes two quizzes: one on the etymology of the word 'book' with multiple-choice questions, and another on the book as a symbol, testing knowledge of the cultural examples. A link to an online form on Yandex is provided for completing the quizzes digitally.