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Anglish: The English Language at its “Purest”

The English language continues to be on one hell of a trip. it has a Germanic language, though It is got lots of loanwords from various other languages. Over 50 % of the vocabulary is from French, Latin, and Greek. But imagine if it did not? What if the sole words we used originated from Anglo-Saxon and Germanic roots?

This is exactly how we get Anglish, English but with no “foreign” words. Often it is likewise called Root English, as it is English going to the origins of its. The point is, Anglish cannot be elegent, it is able to just be swanky. Just how did we get here?

Several Latin and greek phrases joined Old English because of Christianity and also the Norman invasion in the 11th Century meant top of the echelons of society spoke French, giving words with French roots far more status than the Anglo Saxon equivalents of theirs.

This did not turn into a problem until the 17th and 16th centuries when Middle English was starting to be Modern English. A number of writers in time coppied words with Latin roots, since Latin was utilized in academia, in an effort to seem fancy. Some other writers hated the pointlessness of using words that previously had completely sufficient English equivalents with Anglo Saxon roots.

Naturally, several of the words borrowed into English around this particular time continue to be widely used, commit, encyclopedia, celebrate, like dismiss, capability & ingenious. Others disappeared from use as fast as they had been introduced, like expede.

In the 19th Century, the author William Barnes went up to now as to make the own Anglo Saxon words of his as alternatives on the widely used Latin ones. Barnes preferred using the term birdlore to ornithology plus was a lot more bendsome (flexible) in the use of his associated with a pure English language. Overkill, maybe?

George Orwell was not a fan of writers applying Latin words also. Actually, he went up to now to suggest that “Bad writers […] are haunted by the idea that Latin or maybe Greek words are grander compared to Saxon ones”.

Me personally, I do not believe we have to stay away from Greek words and all Latin, the English language has several gorgeous words because of these languages (and also the derivatives) of theirs. Nevertheless, I do not automatically think you are fancy because you make use of Latin words, there is nothing wrong with Germanic and Anglo-Saxon words, either!