How to Write Vibrant Fiction
Learn the Difference Between Anglo Saxon and Latinate Words
Apr 19, 2009
English is unusual in that many words with identical meanings appear in two forms – one derived from Anglo Saxon and one derived from the Latin.
A Brief History of the English Language
When the Anglo Saxons invaded England in 449 CE, they brought their language, which was earthy, vivid and straightforward, and had Germanic roots.
600 years later, the French invaded England, and brought a French dialect, which had Latin roots. The two existed side by side until they slowly combined into English as we know it today.
During the Renaissance Latin became more important as it was used by educated people in professions like law, science and medicine. Thus Latin words became not only more prominent in the language, and also became the preferred language for formal writing.
Many English Words Exist in Two Forms
Here are some common examples of everyday words that have two forms but the same meaning:
- speak and converse,
- lose and mislay,
- show and reveal,
- wedding and marriage,
- die and expire,
- burn and incinerate,
- eat and consume
Learning to Write Fiction
Look at the difference between Latinate and Anglo Saxon language in these sentences. It will be obvious why fiction writers prefer the Anglo Saxon:
- Latinate: The incendiary device exterminated twenty citizens.
- Anglo Saxon: The bomb killed twenty people.
- Latinate: My offspring are accustomed to a postprandial slumber.
- Anglo-Saxon: My children usually sleep after lunch.
- Latinate: I adjourned to the sitting room and perused the morning paper.
- Anglo-Saxon: I went into the sitting room and read the morning paper.
Here’s a well-known nursery rhyme rewritten using Latinate language:
After mislaying her flock of sheep, Miss Bo Peep was unable to relocate them. She was advised to abandon the search as anecdotal evidence has revealed that in the majority of cases, peripatetic sheep return to their pastures voluntarily, with all appendages intact.
In Anglo Saxon language it’s much more accessible:
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep,
And doesn’t know where to find them.
Leave them alone and they will come home,
Bringing their tails behind them.
Formal Writing
Latinate words are formal and remote. They are useful when writing business letters, political speeches or press releases, reprimands, legal judgments etc, as they tend to remove emotion from the writing.
Fiction Writing
Anglo Saxon based language, on the other hand, is direct, simple, and says what it means. It draws pictures in the reader’s head. And that is why fiction writers are advised to always choose the Anglo Saxon form of a word if possible.
Learn more about the origins of the English Language and which words to choose when writing fiction in A Short History of the English Language.
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