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> One thing I learned was that most short words are negative or at least excessively blunt. There's an interesting reason for that. Although English contains
by transmit101 16y ago
> One thing I learned was that most short words are negative or at least excessively blunt.
There's an interesting reason for that.
Although English contains elements from numerous languages, it's two primary ancestors are French and the Germanic Anglo-Saxon.
In the middle ages, most of the English peasantry spoke Anglo-Saxon. The nobility, however, all spoke French for several hundred years after William the Conquerer invaded in 1066.
To this day, that ancient split in languages is still obvious. Everyday words in English, including words for animals, household words and swear words, tend to be Germanic: short, guttural and abrupt.
Words to do with civic society, culture and the ruling class are usually from French. They are usually longer and sound more refined. Examples: parliament, judiciary, government, etc.
- davnola 16y agoEnglish is what happens when Norman soldiers pick up Saxon girls. [source unknown].
- bvi 16y agoThis is very interesting. Do you have any sources?
- pg 16y agoWhile what you're saying is basically true, what it explains is why the earthy words in English are Germanic, not why they're short. Earthy words are short in French too. "Merde" is as abrupt as "shit." And German is full of long words. What's really going on is that earthy words tend to be short, whatever their origins. And since English is not so much a mixture of Anglo-Saxon and French as a core of Anglo-Saxon with a veneer of French on top, the earthier, more basic words in English tend to have Anglo-Saxon origins.