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My parents were English majors, and they met in Anglo-Saxon class. My father described speaking Anglo-Saxon as being like cursing all the time. Everything is b

• tremon 4y ago
  Is that because those are the only known words left in our time, or because the original vocabulary was rather limited?
  • brenns10 4y ago
    My understanding (and take this with a grain of salt, I don't have sources) is that after the Norman conquest in 1066, the original English language was the lower class language and the Latin/French language of the conquerors became the upper class language. So the words which came to English through French/Latin tended to be considered high class, and the words from older English were considered lower class, rougher, and maybe in some cases more profane. A prime example might be beef vs cow: both referring to the same animal, but the higher class word deriving from French has become the culinary term whereas cow remains the term when speaking of the animal. (That I do have a source for: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef#Etymology https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef#Etymology) I think that's why some of the Anglish stuff (or Anglo Saxon class?) might come off as rougher, more basic, simpler, or more profane. It's really interesting (but also really sad) how nearly 1000 years can go by, yet a language can still carry the scars of oppression. Anyway, that's just my thought, I'm no linguist or historian, so don't take my word for it.
    • deleted 4y ago
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