LL-L "Lexicon" 2009.11.04 (02) [EN]

[Lowlands-L List]

===========================================
L O W L A N D S - L - 04 November 2009 - Volume 02
lowlands.list at gmail.com - http://lowlands-l.net/
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-08)
Language Codes: lowlands-l.net/codes.php
===========================================

From: Brooks, Mark <mark.brooks at twc.state.tx.us>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2009.11.04 (01) [EN]



Hi Ron:


You highlighted some Latinate words that you felt most known by all English
speakers. You mentioned “use.” So, let me quickly climb up on my soap box.
Okay, I’ve got my balance up here.


Why oh why do so many folks insist on saying “utilize” instead of “use?” It
seems like a needless further Latinization of an already Latin word. I know
you probably don’t have an answer for me, because I know I asked a
rhetorical question.  But, oy vey!


Mark Brooks

----------

From: jmtait <jmtait at wirhoose.co.uk>
Subject: LL-L "Lexicon" 2009.11.04 (01) [EN]

 Ron wrote:
>
> I wonder if it can be said that this has its roots in a social class system
> in which people with a lot of school learning, or those that wanted to seem
> like that, tried to keep out the "riff-ruff." A similar thing has been going
> on among German speakers that have been to universities: many of them
> needlessly use a lot of foreign-rooted words and also long sentences full of
> twists and turns.
>

There's a curious inversion of this attitude that occurs when talking about
Scots. It's quite common for 'learned' Shetlanders to claim that Shetland,
since it is 'dialect' is incapable of expressing 'abstract concepts.' When
you point out that all the 'abstract' words that 'dialect' is supposed to be
incapable of expressing are actually derived from Latin words with concrete
meanings (eg: 'comprehend' with the root meaning 'grasp') you are greeted by
a resounding silence. This is an example of where 'a lot of school learning'
does not produce education, but rather an additional layer of ignorance
which serves to uphold ingrained linguistic prejudices.

John M. Tait.

----------

From: dealangeam <atdelange at iburst.co.za>
Subject: LL_L "Lexicon" [EN]

Dear Lowlanders,



I rather would have written this reply in Afrikaans so that readers get the
opportunity to read Afrikaans, the youngest Germanic language!



Ron wrote

“....Germanic-rooted English words, on the other hand, sound less
"intimidating" and the meaning of many of them is etymologically more
transparent to the average person.  I wonder if it can be stated that this
has its roots in a social class system in which formally educated people or
those that wanted to appear thus endeavored to keep out the "riff-ruff."
....”



Trying to teach learners (pupils en students) chemistry en the physics that
goes with it, is an ordeal. In 1974 I made the following discovery. I first
give a brief survey of a new topic in “Boere Afrikaans”. It is Afrikaans in
which I use only words of Germanic origin. Then I do it again using “
Wetenskap Afrikaans” with all the technical Romanic words needed. The
learners always loved the first survey and hated the second survey. Most of
them easily understood the first survey and even with that, found the second
survey difficult to grasp. I used this strategy for more than twenty years
and it always worked.



Best wishes



At de Lange

Pretoria

South Africa.

•

==============================END===================================

 * Please submit postings to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.

 * Postings will be displayed unedited in digest form.

 * Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.

 * Commands for automated functions (including "signoff lowlands-l")

   are to be sent to listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or at

   http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.

*********************************************************************
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20091104/45b630e9/attachment.htm>