Happy Sunday everyone!
I am sure you all know the names of the days of the week in English already as these are some of the most common words people learn in a new language, but there is a lot more to know about the days of the week in English than just their names! So, today I am going to start a three-part series looking at the days of the week in English.
To begin let’s look at where the seven days of the week get their names. Before reading any further you should know that the English language is part of the a group of languages that are called ‘Germanic languages’ and that means many of the words in English relate back to the culture that surrounded the speakers of Germanic languages in the past.
The days of the week:
Sunday
This day traces its name back to the original connection between the sun and the sun’s connection to the beginning of things; in this case ‘the beginning’ the sun is connected to is the beginning of the week. This day was originally called “the sun’s day.”
Monday
This day is connect to another celestial* body, the moon. This day was originally considered to be “the moon’s day.” Can you see how “moon’s day” came to be pronounced ‘moonsday’ and then ‘Monday’?
Tuesday
In old English this day was called “Tiw’s day.” Tiw was a one-handed god associated with combat or fighting.
Wednesday
This is the ancient day of the Germanic god ‘Woden’ who was a prominent god of the Anglo-Saxons in England until the seventh century. Again here you can see how the word slowly changed over time: Woden’sday –> Wodensday –> Wednesday.
Thursday
What was once known as “Thor’s day” is now known as Thursday. This day is named for the Germanic god of thunder.
Friday
This day is named for the Norse goddess Frige. The Norse name for the planet Venus was Friggjarstjarna, which means “Frigg’s star.” In Latin languages the name for this day is also connect to the planet Venus, as in the French “vendredi” or Italian “venerdì.”
Saturday
This is the only day of the week in English to maintain any connection to and influence from Roman times. Saturday is named after the Roman god Saturn. Saturn is also of course a celestial body; it is the name of a planet.
These are the days of the week in English, but which day of the week is the first day of the week to English speakers? This depends on who you ask. Generally Sunday is considered the first day of the week as most calendars in the United States start on Sunday and end on Saturday (with the days of the week running horizontally across the page). Some people do think of Monday as the first day of the week because it is the first day of the working week in Western culture. The workweek in America (and most Western cultures) runs from Monday to Friday. Saturday and Sunday are the weekend and many people have these days off from work.
No matter what day of the week it is, it is always a good day to practice your English. Reading this blog is a great way to practice English, but be sure to also check out the many resources Transparent Language has to help you learn English.
*celestial = related to outer space or the heavens
