高上　英検1級　語彙対策②　diasporaについて。

みなさんこんにちは。高上代表　佐藤一行です。先日、私も見慣れない英単語に出くわしたので、CHATGPTにて調べてみました。その英単語の意味が、実に英検1級に関係してきそうな内容でしたので、本日はそれを紹介します。

以下引用です。

Ah, you’re referring to “diaspora.” I can certainly help with that!

A diaspora refers to the dispersion or spread of any population from their original homeland. It’s a term that has been especially used to describe large groups of people who have been forced or induced to leave their traditional homelands, yet maintain strong sentimental and material links with those homelands, often planning, if only as a dream, to return.

Here are a few examples of well-known diasporas:

Jewish Diaspora: This refers to the dispersion of Jews outside of Israel from the 6th century BCE, when they were exiled to Babylonia, until the present time.
African Diaspora: This typically refers to the communities throughout the world that have resulted by descent from the movement in historic times of peoples from Africa, predominantly to the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and other parts of the world. This diaspora was largely the result of the Atlantic slave trade.
Armenian Diaspora: Refers to the Armenian communities around the world, especially those created as a result of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Indian Diaspora: Many people from India have migrated to different parts of the world over several centuries, for reasons including economic opportunities, colonialism, and indentured servitude (especially in the Caribbean).
Irish Diaspora: Refers to Irish people and their descendants who live outside Ireland. The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages, but became significant during and after the Great Famine of the mid-19th century.

There are many other diasporas globally, as people have been migrating for various reasons throughout human history. The concept of diaspora often encompasses not just physical dispersion but also the preservation and propagation of culture, traditions, and sometimes language, outside of the homeland.

引用終わり

代表から

日本語訳をあてがってみると、四散したユダヤ人というのが元々の意味であるようです。生まれ故郷を追われてしまうということは現代でも起こり得ることですから、そのもともとの意味から派生して様々な地域で使われるようになったようです。このように、島国である日本ではあまりなじみのない話であっても、英検1級の筆記試験の場合には出てくることはあります。英単語を覚えるのに限らす、その背景を英語で理解していくことができるように心がけましょう。私は、なにも英単語をこのブログという限られた媒体でたくさん暗記させるために書いているわけではなく、それ以上に背景知識をきちんと読んで理解できることを目的に引用しております。今後も、少しずつ続けていくつもりです。

高上代表　佐藤一行