GratsTheat783
kiwifarms.net
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2024
Anglish is a version of English that removes all words that did not originate in English. Here's a page about it.
It's interesting to look into, but I wouldn't adopt it. Ah, the nameknown are bewitching.
Anglish is a kind of English which prefers native words over those borrowed from foreign languages. Anglish is linguistic purism applied to English.
Examples
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The term "Anglish" was made up by Paul Jennings in his 1966 Punch Articles. However, the desire to remove foreign influence from the English language is a tradition that goes back all the way to the Norman invasion in 1066. The Normans were a Germanic, Old Norse-speaking tribe that raided and settled a part of France that is now known as Normandy. After a few generations, they adopted the French language before William I took over England. The French-speaking Normans being in positions of power throughout England is what led to the adoption of much of the foreign vocabulary that is in modern English today.
Many English writers throughout history, such as Thomas Wilson or Roger Ascham, have spoken out against the use of "Inkhorn Terms" or the needless borrowing of words from foreign languages as a fashion statement, something that happened often in the 16th and 17th centuries. English scholar, John Cheke wrote, "I am of this opinion that our own tung should be written cleane and pure, unmixt and unmangeled with borowing of other tunges; wherein if we take not heed by tiim, ever borowing and never paying, she shall be fain to keep her house as bankrupt."
William Barnes, a writer and poet from the 19th century, famously called for the removal of Latin, French, and Greek vocabulary from English and promoted Anglo-Saxon substitutes, like wortlore for botany and welkinfire for meteor. More about Barnes was documented by author Andrew Phillips in his book "The Rebirth of England and English."
In the 20th century, William Strunk Jr. wrote in The Elements of Style, "Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready, and able. Anglo-Saxon is a livelier tongue than Latin, so use Anglo-Saxon words". The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, once said, "Broadly speaking, short words are best, and the old words, when short, are best of all." This attitude of keeping speech down to earth is something that shows up in many political speeches in English-speaking countries in an attempt to better connect with the average person. Another 20th-century author, Elias Molee, called for a fully Germanic language for Americans that he called "Amerikan". One of Molee's books was titled "Pure Saxon English". An American science fiction and fantasy author, Poul Anderson, is known for writing Uncleftish Beholding, a short text explaining atomic theory with only Germanic words.
More recently in the 21st century, author David Cowley released his book "How We'd Talk If the English Had Won in 1066", among others, that goes into depth on the vocabulary and sound changes that happened to English as a result of Norman influence. (Though it is worth noting that some linguists disagree and think English still would have borrowed many French words anyway.) Even for authors who are not seeking to purify English, understanding the distinction between Latinate and Anglo-Saxon vocabulary is a tool used by some well-known fiction writers, like Stephen King.
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Examples
| English | --> | Anglish |
|---|---|---|
| Ability | --> | Skill |
| Native | --> | Inborn |
| Brilliant | --> | Bright |
| Decide | --> | Choose |
| Computer | --> | Reckoner |
| Famous | --> | Nameknown |
| Dictionary | --> | Wordbook |
| Vocabulary | --> | Wordstock |
| Ubiquitous | --> | Everywhere |
| Fascinating | --> | Bewitching |
...
The term "Anglish" was made up by Paul Jennings in his 1966 Punch Articles. However, the desire to remove foreign influence from the English language is a tradition that goes back all the way to the Norman invasion in 1066. The Normans were a Germanic, Old Norse-speaking tribe that raided and settled a part of France that is now known as Normandy. After a few generations, they adopted the French language before William I took over England. The French-speaking Normans being in positions of power throughout England is what led to the adoption of much of the foreign vocabulary that is in modern English today.
Many English writers throughout history, such as Thomas Wilson or Roger Ascham, have spoken out against the use of "Inkhorn Terms" or the needless borrowing of words from foreign languages as a fashion statement, something that happened often in the 16th and 17th centuries. English scholar, John Cheke wrote, "I am of this opinion that our own tung should be written cleane and pure, unmixt and unmangeled with borowing of other tunges; wherein if we take not heed by tiim, ever borowing and never paying, she shall be fain to keep her house as bankrupt."
William Barnes, a writer and poet from the 19th century, famously called for the removal of Latin, French, and Greek vocabulary from English and promoted Anglo-Saxon substitutes, like wortlore for botany and welkinfire for meteor. More about Barnes was documented by author Andrew Phillips in his book "The Rebirth of England and English."
In the 20th century, William Strunk Jr. wrote in The Elements of Style, "Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready, and able. Anglo-Saxon is a livelier tongue than Latin, so use Anglo-Saxon words". The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, once said, "Broadly speaking, short words are best, and the old words, when short, are best of all." This attitude of keeping speech down to earth is something that shows up in many political speeches in English-speaking countries in an attempt to better connect with the average person. Another 20th-century author, Elias Molee, called for a fully Germanic language for Americans that he called "Amerikan". One of Molee's books was titled "Pure Saxon English". An American science fiction and fantasy author, Poul Anderson, is known for writing Uncleftish Beholding, a short text explaining atomic theory with only Germanic words.
More recently in the 21st century, author David Cowley released his book "How We'd Talk If the English Had Won in 1066", among others, that goes into depth on the vocabulary and sound changes that happened to English as a result of Norman influence. (Though it is worth noting that some linguists disagree and think English still would have borrowed many French words anyway.) Even for authors who are not seeking to purify English, understanding the distinction between Latinate and Anglo-Saxon vocabulary is a tool used by some well-known fiction writers, like Stephen King.
...
