In that case, the September equinox actually signals the start of spring. If you happen to be part of the 10 percent of the world's population who lives in the Southern Hemisphere, then the seasons are reversed. On rare occasions, it can fall on September 21 or 24. The date varies slightly year to year, but it is usually September 22 or 23. The first day of fall is Saturday, September 23, 2023-the same day as the autumn equinox-in the Northern Hemisphere. We can't wait to break out our best pumpkin recipes, to go apple picking, or, perhaps, to take a long weekend to enjoy one of the best small towns for leaf peeping.īut when is the first day of fall, and how is it determined? Cooler weather and changing leaves aside, astronomy-the autumn equinox, to be specific-tells us when summer ends and the official first day of fall arrives. It was in this time that the English language was taken over to North America.Īs the two continents became more independent and there was less contact, fall was still used in North America, whilst Britain reverted back to using the word autumn.As the summer heat lingers, we yearn for the first day of fall-the arrival of sweater weather and fall movie nights spent cozied up under blankets. So the reason why Americans use fall and British use autumn, is because around the same time the English went over to North America, the most popular word to describe the third season had changed from autumn to fall. ![]() There was less contact between the two areas and this influenced the language being spoken in the two different continents. One area of the world in particular that it heavily influenced was North America.Īs time went on the English that was spoken in America and the English that was spoken in England began to grow apart and develop upon its own accord. Shortly after this time, Britain’s empire was expanding fast, and in turn, that meant the English language was becoming widespread. This was used in conjunction with “spring of the leaf” to describe these transitional times of the year.Įventually the terms were shortened to “spring” and “fall.” Over time, poets became interested in describing parts of the year in romantic ways, and this is when “fall” appeared for the first time to replace the use of the word autumn.ĭuring the 16 th Century, writers continued to be amazed with the time of year and came up with the term “fall of the leaf”. ![]() ![]() This is because English speakers considered the year to have only two seasons, summer and winter.įocusing mainly on the coldest and warmest parts of the year, therefore there was no need for a word to describe “harvest.”īy introducing the word “autumn,” it became a word to describe the transition between summer and winter in a clearer, less disputed way. ![]() This was quite often disputed over because the window to harvest varied depending on crops and location. Over time autumn became a popular word to use, as prior to this it was referred to as “harvest.” Meteorological Seasons Spring begins on the 1st of March 1 and ends on the 31st of May Summer begins on the 1st of June and ends on the 31st of August. It was first used in English writing in the 14 th Century and it comes from the Latin word “autumnus,” although it is still a mystery where the word “autumnus” stems from. You may have heard the British use the word “autumn” to describe the time of year that ends summer and turns to winter or in simpler terms, the third season.īoth “fall” and “autumn” were used as part of the English language to describe the third season of the year.īut the older of the two is “autumn.” When was the first appearance of the word autumn?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |