Re: Latin vs. Germanic

Subject: Re: Latin vs. Germanic
From: Christopher Knight <knight -at- ADA -dot- COM>
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 1997 16:24:58 PDT

The distinction is basic to English, and is well-known to poets and
other "creative" writers. Since most of us TW drones learned to choose
the simplest and shortest of alternative word possibilities, we usually
choose words with Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) rather than Latin/French roots.

It's true that "click" is Germanic and "choose" French in origin, but so
what. Both words are short and precise. The choice should be based on
the context and as I argued in my earlier posting, "choose" and "select"
are more inclusive than "click". For the writer who had to write for
extreme computer-neophytes, well that's another context.

Cheers!

TECHWR-L (Technical Communication) List Information: To send a message
to 2500+ readers, e-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send commands
to LISTSERV -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU (e.g. HELP or SIGNOFF TECHWR-L).
Search the archives at http://www.documentation.com/ or search and
browse the archives at http://listserv.okstate.edu/archives/techwr-l.html


Previous by Author: Re: To click on, or just to click?
Next by Author: Single-step procedures
Previous by Thread: Re: Latin vs. Germanic
Next by Thread: Re: Latin vs. Germanic


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads