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    16 Latin English

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    GABRIELE
    This document discusses the influence of Latin words on the English language. It notes that while English is a Germanic language, it contains many words derived from Latin due to the Roman occupation of Britain and later Norman invasion. Some key points: - Latin-derived words in English tend to be more formal or technical in tone, while Anglo-Saxon words are more common and informal. - Certain Latinate words like "doctor" are very common, while others like "ascend" and "felicity" are more formal or literary. - Users should be careful not to overuse Latinate words and should check definitions before using less common ones. - Anglo-Saxon words make up most frequently

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    16 Latin English

    Uploaded by

    GABRIELE
    90 views4 pages
    This document discusses the influence of Latin words on the English language. It notes that while English is a Germanic language, it contains many words derived from Latin due to the Roman occupation of Britain and later Norman invasion. Some key points: - Latin-derived words in English tend to be more formal or technical in tone, while Anglo-Saxon words are more common and informal. - Certain Latinate words like "doctor" are very common, while others like "ascend" and "felicity" are more formal or literary. - Users should be careful not to overuse Latinate words and should check definitions before using less common ones. - Anglo-Saxon words make up most frequently

    Original Description:

    LATIN AND ENGLISH

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    This document discusses the influence of Latin words on the English language. It notes that while English is a Germanic language, it contains many words derived from Latin due to the Roman occupation of Britain and later Norman invasion. Some key points: - Latin-derived words in English tend to be more formal or technical in tone, while Anglo-Saxon words are more common and informal. - Certain Latinate words like "doctor" are very common, while others like "ascend" and "felicity" are more formal or literary. - Users should be careful not to overuse Latinate words and should check definitions before using less common ones. - Anglo-Saxon words make up most frequently

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    90 views4 pages

    16 Latin English

    Uploaded by

    GABRIELE
    This document discusses the influence of Latin words on the English language. It notes that while English is a Germanic language, it contains many words derived from Latin due to the Roman occupation of Britain and later Norman invasion. Some key points: - Latin-derived words in English tend to be more formal or technical in tone, while Anglo-Saxon words are more common and informal. - Certain Latinate words like "doctor" are very common, while others like "ascend" and "felicity" are more formal or literary. - Users should be careful not to overuse Latinate words and should check definitions before using less common ones. - Anglo-Saxon words make up most frequently

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 4

    LATIN IN ENGLISH

    LATINATE WORDS

    There are many words in English that sound familiar to an Italian ear. The
    following is just a short list:

     abundance  interrogate
     adapt  liberty
     ascend /əˈsend/  nostalgic
     celestial  profundity /prəˈfʌndɪti/
     consecrated /ˈkɒnsɪkreɪtɪd/  prudent
     cordial  regal /ˈriːgəl/
     epoch /ˈiːpɒk/  terrestrial
     felicity  torrid
     flame  vision
     innocent

    These are words of Latin origin. Here are their etymons, i.e. the Latin words
    they are derived from.

    English Latin
    abundance ăbundantĭa
    adapt ădapto, io adatto
    ascend ascendo, io salgo
    celestial caelestialis (medieval Latin)
    consecrated consĕcro, io consacro, dedico
    cordial cordialis (medieval Latin, from classical Lat cŏr, cordis, cuore)
    epoch epocha (modern Lat, from Greek epokhé)
    felicity fēlĭcītās
    flame flamma
    innocent innŏcens
    interrogate interrŏgo, io chiedo
    liberty lībertās
    nostalgic nostalgĭa (modern Lat, from Greek nóstos “ritorno” + algìa
    “dolore” = “dolore per l’impossibilità del ritorno”)
    profundity prŏfundĭtās
    prudent prūdens
    regal rēgālis
    terrestrial terrestris
    torrid torrĭdus
    vision vīsĭo

    English is not a Romance language, that is to


    say, a language developed from Latin, like Italian,
    French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian – the
    languages commonly called ‘Neo-Latin.’
    1
    English belongs to the Germanic branch of the
    Indo-European family of languages. However, it is very
    rich in Latinate words, i.e. words derived from Latin.

    There are historical reasons for that, including the


    Roman invasion of Great Britain (AD 43) and the Roman
    rule over the island, which lasted until AD 410; and The
    Norman conquest (1066), that brought the Latin-based
    French language into the British area.
    But each word of Latin origin has a corresponding
    Anglo-Saxon term, of Germanic origin:

    Latinate English Anglo-Saxon Latinate English Anglo-Saxon

    abundance wealth innocent guiltless


    adapt fit interrogate ask
    ascend climb liberty freedom
    celestial heavenly nostalgic wistful
    consecrated holy profundity depth
    cordial hearty prudent careful
    epoch time regal kingly
    felicity happiness terrestrial earthly
    flame fire torrid scorching
    vision sight

    In some cases, the actual Latin words are used. An examples is the names of
    the constellations and signs of the zodiac (or star signs, birth signs):

    ♈ Aries /ˈeəriːz /
    ♉ Taurus /ˈtɔːrəs /
    ♊ Gemini /ˈdʒemɪnaɪ /, /ˈdʒemɪniː /
    ♋ Cancer /ˈkænsə(r) /
    ♌ Leo /ˈliːəʊ /
    ♍ Virgo /ˈvɜːɡəʊ /
    ♎ Libra /ˈliːbrə /
    ♏ Scorpio /ˈskɔːpiəʊ /
    ♐ Sagittarius /ˌsædʒɪˈteəriəs /
    ♑ Capricorn /ˈkæprɪkɔːn /
    ♒ Aquarius /əˈkweəriəs /
    ♓ Pisces /ˈpaɪsiːz /

    The above names are the real Latin words, although pronounced the English
    way. In this case too each name has a corresponding English (Anglo-Saxon) term
    in use:

    Aries The Ram


    Taurus The Bull
    Gemini The Twins
    Cancer The Crab
    2
    Leo The Lion
    Virgo The Maiden
    Libra The Scales
    Scorpio The Scorpion
    Sagittarius The Archer
    Capricorn The Goat
    Aquarius The Water Carrier
    Pisces The Fishes (NB: the common word fish does not
    normally change in the plural. Fishes is
    a rare form, used for the constellation,
    and to refer to different kinds of fish.)

    GUIDE TO THE USE OF LATIN WORDS IN ENGLISH

    However familiar Latinate words in English may sound to you, be careful in


    using them when you speak or write in English.
    Remember the following ideas and criteria.

    1) Generally speaking, the words of Latin origin have a more formal tone. They
    tend to be cultural and technical, educational and commercial, and are used
    in written reports and formal discussions.
    This is a sentence totally made of Latinate terms (except the preposition
    on): Invading armies impose exotic political systems on conquered countries.
    The sentence sounds formal.
    And this is a sentence in which all the words are Anglo-Saxon: Hardly any
    horse-drawn ploughs are found on English fields now.
    In the following sentence, 17 words are native (Anglo-Saxon) and 3 are of
    Latin origin (underlined): He picked up the gem, inspected it carefully, put it in
    his pocket, and escaped before anyone could stop him.

    2) Some Latin terms, for example doctor, including, simple, sound quite normal
    and are in common use. Not so with others, like ascend, felicity, torrid, etc.;
    their tone is formal or literary.

    3) Resist any attempt to use Latinate words too much. Check them up in a good
    monolingual dictionary, read all the examples that are given, and try to follow
    them. E.g.:
    ASCEND is used in such set phrases as Marks are in ascending order (“I voti
    sono in ordine crescente”), Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne of the
    United Kingdom in 1952.
    FELICITY is less common in the meaning of “great happiness”; it is more
    commonly used in its figurative sense: The story is told with great felicity of
    style.
    TORRID is formal in The torrid heat of August, and has sexual connotations
    in A torrid love affair.

    3
    4) Anglo-Saxon words cover a relatively small part of the total modern English
    vocabulary, but they are the most frequently used in the language.
    They tend to be used informally, figuratively, and idiomatically, and are
    largely found in slang.

    5) Therefore, in informal speaking or writing, always try to use Anglo-Saxon


    terms. Use terms of Latin origin on formal occasions, especially in writing.

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