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Copywriting Services London

Posts tagged 'latin'

Doolally, Pukka and Cushy. And other words of Indian origin in everyday use

23rd
Nov
by Sarah Turner

Historically, these great British Isles, where I live, have a habit of being invaded. (Although, thankfully, not for some time.)

The upside to this, of course, along with nice straight roads built by the Romans, is that the English language is a rich and colourful blend of Latin words, Anglo Saxon words and French words.

But that’s not all. The Brits, of course, love to “visit” other countries – whether we’re invited or not. And during the era of British rule in India (1612 – 1947) numerous words of Indian origin entered the English language.

These Indian words came from a variety of languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punajabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Kashmir, Sindhi, and the sacred, ancient language Sanskrit.

And today, over 700 words in the Oxford English dictionary have Indian origin. Here are just a few of them:

Bandanna: From the Hindi word Bandhana meaning to tie.

Bangle: From the Hindi word Bangri meaning glass bracelet.

Bungalow: From the Hindi word Banla meaning “house in the Bengal style” or single story house.

Chit: From the Hindi word Chitthi meaning a slip of paper (used instead of money).

Cot: From the Hindi word Khat meaning portable bed, couch or hammock.

Cummerbund: From the Urdu word Kamar-band meaning waistband.

Cushy: From: the Hindi word Khush meaning happy, easy, pleasant.

Doolally: From the town of Deolali, the location of an army base and sanatorium where soldiers leaving India in the late 19th century were sent before leaving for home. Those that became mentally deranged after contacting a fever, or Tap in Urdu, were said to have gone Doolally Tap.

Guru: A Hindi word meaning spiritual leader or guide, teacher instructor. From the Sanskrit words Guruh meaning weighty, heavy, grave.

Khaki: An Urdu word meaning dusty or dust coloured.

Pundit: From the Hindi word Pandit meaning a learned man. From the Sanskrit word Panditah meaning learned scholar.

Pukka: From the Hindi words Pakka meaning cooked, solid, substantial.

Pyjamas or Pajamas: From the Urdu word payjamah meaning leg garment.

Shampoo: From the Hindi word Champo, meaning to press and massage. 

Thug: From the Hindi word Thag meaning a thief or conman and the Sanskirt word Sthaga meaning robber.

Yoga: A Sanskrit word for the union of mind, body and spirit.

Any favourite Indian words? And Chicken Tikka Massala, Tarka Dal, Sag Aloo and Bhindi Bhaji don’t count!


Tags: anglo saxon, cushy, doolally, french words, indian words, latin, pukka
Posted in Word stuff | comments icon 5 Comments »

What’s the difference between e.g. and i.e.?

14th
Oct
by Sarah Turner

Yes, there is a difference. And, no, they’re not interchangeable.

E.g. is short for exempli gratia. Yes, it’s Latin and it means for example. So how is it used?

Try and visit some galleries when you’re in Paris e.g. (or for example) the Musee d’Orsay or the Louvre.

Use easy to read fonts on your website e.g. (or for example) Verdana

Remember: what follows an e.g. is an excerpt from a list or a larger chunk of information. So there’s no need to put an etc. at the end as well.

I.e. is short for id est and means that is or in other words. It’s used like this:

We’re going to run the same advertisement from last summer i.e. (or in other words) the one with the cat in it.

We’ll give you your usual discount i.e. (or in other words) 10%.

E.g. and i.e. always have full stops. And in the US a comma is often used after the abbreviation:

Use easy to read fonts on your website e.g., (or for example) Verdana

How do you remember which one to use? E.g.  means ‘EGsample’. And i.e. means ‘InEtherwords’. Yeah, yeah I know it’s a bit juvenile but, trust me, it works.


Tags: american spelling, latin
Posted in Grammar tips | comments icon 2 Comments »

Why Anglo Saxon rules (in business writing anyway)

24th
Apr
by Sarah Turner

When it comes to business writing or copywriting, it’s always better to use Anglo Saxon words rather than Latin words. But why are Anglo Saxon words better? And how can we tell the difference?

To find out, let’s take a brief look at the history of the English language.

What have the Romans ever done for us?
Latin words have been around in England since the days of the Roman Empire. But things started hotting up when the Anglo Saxons arrived in the 5th Century bringing their Germanic based language with them.

The French invasion. Mon Dieu  
A mixture of Latin and Anglo Saxon words, known as Old English, were used until the Norman Conquest in 1066, when a flood of French words came into the English language and were used by the aristocracy and well-educated. Of course, French itself is derived from Latin, and the English language became a mixture of French words like barber, tailor, butcher, mason, and carpenter, and down to earth Anglo Saxon words like beard, hair, cloth, meat, stone and wood.

Et cetera, et cetera
During the Middle Ages, many scientific, scholarly and legal terms were borrowed from Latin. And by the 17th and 18th centuries, scholars and intellectuals, wishing to improve the English language, created new English words from Latin words such as fraternity, from the Latin fraternitas, an improvement, they thought, on the Anglo Saxon brotherhood.

So why choose Anglo Saxon words over Latin? They seem a bit crude compared to the flowery elegance of Latin derived words. Well they are. But Anglo Saxon words also tend to be shorter, punchier and more direct; whereas Latin words tend to be longer and more abstract.   

I’m not saying strip your writing of Latin words altogether. But if you’re writing a business letter or sales copy, and you need to get to your point across as quickly and as easily as possible, Anglo Saxon is the way to go.

Some Latin derived words and their simpler alternatives

Adamant – firm
Adjacent – near
Ascertain – to find out
Capacious – large
Collaborate – work together
Contemplative – thoughtful
Equitable – just, fair
Incognito – disguised
Loquacious – talkative
Novel – new and unusual
Pallid – pale
Parsimonious - thrifty 
Penchant – like 
Pernicious – causing great harm

Some Anglo Saxon words that have been around a while   
Almost, All, And, As, At
By, But
For, From, Friendly
King
Middle, More, Most
Some, Such
Ten, This
Was, Were, Word
Year


Tags: anglo saxon, latin
Posted in Business writing, Copywriting, Word stuff | comments icon 3 Comments »

 

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