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Subject:Re: Latin vs. Germanic From:"Donald J. Plummer" <donp -at- BGNET -dot- BGSU -dot- EDU> Date:Thu, 31 Jul 1997 19:06:05 -0400
>
>I remember reading once that when someone wants to sound "schooled" they
>use Latin words such as "manual." By contrast, a person trying to speak
>more commonly would choose "book." Alexia's argument sounds similar. I
>would equate "click" with the more German-gutteral pronunciations and
>choose ("select" doesn't really work in my example, I know) with the softer
>Latin.
>
>Does anyone on the list remember reading/hearing this too? I wonder what
>other words we use fall into this same category. When should we choose one
>over the other?
In a writing class last Fall, our professor mentioned some study that
indicated words of Anglo-Saxon origin were more directly and easily
understood by native English speakers than were words of Latinate (either
direct from Latin, or indirect through Norman French) origin. The example
he gave in class was *Lock the door* vs.*Secure the door.* His advice to
us was that if we want to be direct and minimize risk of misunderstanding,
we should maximize the use of Anglo-Saxon words, especially in
instructional writing.
If you want to know what study he was referring to, I may be able to find out.
don
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Donald J. Plummer
Department of English
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio USA
We are often unable to tell people what
they need to know, because they want
to know something else.
--George MacDonald
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