Prehistoric man was thought to have practised tattooing, that is, puncturing the
skin with tools dipped in pigment that left a permanent mark. And mummies
with decorative tattoos have been discovered in many parts of the world. Yet for
nearly as long as there has been tattooing, there has been condemnation. The
Romans considered decorative tattooing barbaric, which is still evident in the
Latin word for tattoo, stigma, and used tattoos to mark slaves and criminals.
Despite its deep roots in ancient cultures, tattooing had fallen out of practice in
Europe by the time Britain's Captain Cook set sail for the Polynesian Islands in
1768.
Though Cook and his men were not the first Europeans to encounter Oceanic tattooing,
they were the first to record the practice systematically. Cook
also introduced to the English language the word tattoo, taken from the
Tahitian. Cook's men did not fully understand the significance of
tattooing among the Oceanic people, for whom the designs were symbolic protection
against earthly enemies. Yet the sailors were fascinated and eager
to be marked themselves. They adopted the practice with gusto, designing
mariner motifs of their own. A turtle meant a sailor had crossed the equator,
and an anchor that he had sailed the Atlantic. Crucifixion scenes were also
popular motifs --a vain attempt to avoid being beaten, as it was hoped no
one would dare hit the image of Christ.
Today, all types of people get tattooed. Though the art was adopted from distant
cultures and adapted to suit Western tastes, the attraction of tattooing has
changed very little.
Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are
given for only TRUE or FALSE.
Fashionable people
in the Roman world had tattoos
The origin of the word tattoo in English is unknown.
Explicación: Para la primera afirmación el parrafo relevante es:
"The Romans considered decorative tattoing barbaric, ..., and used tattoos to mark slaves and criminals"
La afirmación es falsa ya que los romanos consideraban el arte del tatuaje como algo brutal, y lo empleaban únicamente para marcar a los esclavos y a los criminales. Por lo tanto no lo empleaban como elemento de moda. (fashionable people).
Mientras que para la segunda es:
"Cook also introduced to the English language the word tattoo, taken
from the Tahitian..."
En el segundo párrafo se nos explica que el término tattoo está tomado del tahitiano, por lo tanto, sà se conoce el origen de esa palabra.