Historically, English has two principle streams: Latinate (via Norman French) and Anglo-Saxon (Old English).
Latinate words are often multi-syllabic, dry and have simpler substitutes:
Latinate | Anglo-Saxon |
---|---|
Canine | Dog |
Domicile | House |
For historical reasons, Latinate is commonly used in government, law and higher education. Many argue it is used to intimidate, disempower, obfuscate and make the speaker feel important.
For fun, try to translate the following Latinate back into everyday expressions.
When you're done, continue to Exercise Six Takeaways