The large size of the English lexicon isn't just a result of the Norman invasion and subsequent merging of Old English and Norman French. During the renaissanc

The large size of the English lexicon isn't just a result of the Norman invasion and subsequent merging of Old English and Norman French. During the renaissance, a huge number of words were consciously imported into English from classical Greek and Latin by scholars and scientists seeking to make English a better language for learned discourse. The so-called "inkhorn controversy"[1] arose when some other writers objected to all these new, foreign-sounding words, particularly those for which there was already a suitable alternative in English. Despite the objections, many of the new words did gain acceptance, and the English lexicon swelled accordingly. So it's a little ironic that one of the author's chief complaints is partly a result of scientists trying to turn English into a scientific language in the first place. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkhorn_term http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inkhorn_term