Woody Guthrie
8
6.5
- proper noun
- /ˈwʊdi ˈɡʌθri/
- The songs of Woody Guthrie often addressed the struggles of working-class Americans.
Examples
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Many modern musicians have cited Woody Guthrie as a major influence on their work.
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The legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie wrote many iconic songs.
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A mural honoring Woody Guthrie was unveiled in his hometown last year.
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Have you ever listened to Woody Guthrie?
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A mural honoring Woody Guthrie was unveiled in his hometown last year.
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Many modern musicians have cited Woody Guthrie as a major influence on their work.
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The songs of Woody Guthrie often addressed the struggles of working-class Americans.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Woody + Guthrie
This is a proper name referring to a specific historical person; knowing the constituent tokens 'Woody' and 'Guthrie' (which here function as name parts rather than lexical items) does not allow a B1 learner to infer the person’s identity or role as a U.S. folk singer. Proper names are arbitrary labels whose meanings are not compositionally derived from their parts, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Woody Guthrie travelled across America during the 1930s, singing with a simple guitar about dust, work and hard times. Picture him on a dusty road singing for ordinary people, and that is why he is remembered as a 'folk singer' who wrote songs about social and political struggles.