4 ms·
Post author here. You're right about "smart." There are other minor inaccuracies that other people pointed out. The origin of "fuck" isn't clear. Were the angl
by KennethMyers 15y ago
Post author here.
You're right about "smart." There are other minor inaccuracies that other people pointed out. The origin of "fuck" isn't clear. Were the anglo-saxons actually enslaved? (I'd say yes. Serfdom/slavery, what's the differece?) I didn't write this thing like a researcher. I wrote it like a daytime applied linguist with a secret passion for his crazy-ass blog. I'll do a rigorous one if people actually want that.
- sophacles 15y agoI actually want that... but don't do extra work because I ask nicely -- I will gladly pay for an (e)book on this topic, if it was written at a "smart layman"'s level. I think its fascinating, but not career fascinating, if you know what I mean. I just want to read about these things and maybe be able to impress strangers with random facts that were well researched by some person who knows what he's talking about.
- icebraining 15y ago"Your Mother's Tongue: Book of European Invective" is an interesting book about the same subject.
- zwp 15y agoHello! I like the hypothesis, I'm sure there must be some research on this. There is a writing style guide written by a well-known English author, Victorian era, that suggests using saxon over romance words for clarity. I feel this is valid (also more concise, more punchy (more consonants)). I thought it was Kipling but perhaps not... somebody help me out?
- bdr 15y agoWas it http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Barnes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Barnes ? "For example, the word "photograph" (from Greek light+writing) would become "sun-print" (from Saxon). Other terms include "wortlore" (botany), "welkinfire" (meteor) and "nipperlings" (forceps)." See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_linguistic_purism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Saxon_linguistic_purism
- bergie 15y agoIn Finland there is a government agency called Kielitoimisto ("Language bureau"), which has as its mission to keep the language pure from foreign influences. They've recently tuned it down, but I remember a lot of proposals from them in the 90s similar to the ones you listed
- cema 15y agoWell, modern Hebrew is still like that, to a large extent.
- jacques_chester 15y agoComparably, the French have L'Académie Française. Stuffed to the roof with curmudgeons who reject all foreign influences -- even from other Francophonic countries. There's cases where Swiss French (counting), Quebecois French (conjugation of many verbs) etc is more logical or more consistent, but the changes are rejected as foreign by the Académie.
- Terretta 15y agole weekend, le sandwich, un parking, un smoking ...
- jacques_chester 15y agoYes, loanwords too.
- willyt 15y agoIn France the equivalent is the Académie française. So in French a computer is an Ordinateur, whereas in a lot of other languages it's derived from the English word. A few random examples: German: Computer. Spanish: Computadora. Scots Gaelic: Coimpiutair. Edit: Oops Jacques beat me too it.
- icebraining 15y ago
- conanite 15y agoYou might be thinking of George Orwell, "politics and the english language" (a bit after the victorian era) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_and_the_English_Language http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_and_the_English_Langua... Rule 5 states: Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
- zwp 15y agoYes! Thank you. Exactly (was later than I thought). http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm "Bad writers, and especially scientific, political, and sociological writers, are nearly always haunted by the notion that Latin or Greek words are grander than Saxon ones..."
- Terretta 15y agoI was entertained by the "individual" vs. "man" phrase: the sort of guy These sound like nice simple Anglo Saxon words, but: "sort" – 1200–50; (noun) Middle English < Middle French sorte "guy" – 1300–50; Middle English gye < Old French guie, a guide, derivative of guier to guide You played with these words in several parts of the post, which made it all the more entertaining a read.