"Us versus them" has long been a source of conflict among people. Romans dismissed the language of their opponents as merely babble, spoken by people they called barbarians. Even today, some scholars claim the source of the word was because Romans heard the speech as "bar-bar-bar," ignoring or not knowing the word was used because the men had beards. From that, we get the modern word "barber," someone who trims facial hair. The Latin and modern Italian word for beard is barba, so by that "logic," those who trim facial hair are barbarians.
When the Normans invaded Britain and suppressed the Anglo-Saxons after the year 1066, their language was used only by those the conquerors called the "lower class." The royal court and the legal system used Latin-derived French terms, since they were in charge, leaving plain Anglo-Saxon to those they labeled the "common people."
And when the conquerors gathered to formulate laws, they met in a place they called Parliament, which in French means "talking place."
The tradition of using French or Latin derived terms for legal issues and for medical terminology remains in America, and the use of Anglo-Saxon terms is criticized, especially when referring to basic bodily functions.
Describing human waste requires the use of a French or Latin word -- feces -- not the plain English term that begins with the letter s. And bisexual love activity is referred to using the Latin-derived term "conjugal," which simply means "join together." Using the Anglo-Saxon f-word is deemed impolite.
So if you want to sound highly educated and intellectual, use as many French or Latin derived polysyllabic terminology (long words) as you can. But if being easily understood is more important, use plain English words. They're shorter and easier to pronounce.
When the Normans invaded Britain and suppressed the Anglo-Saxons after the year 1066, their language was used only by those the conquerors called the "lower class." The royal court and the legal system used Latin-derived French terms, since they were in charge, leaving plain Anglo-Saxon to those they labeled the "common people."
And when the conquerors gathered to formulate laws, they met in a place they called Parliament, which in French means "talking place."
The tradition of using French or Latin derived terms for legal issues and for medical terminology remains in America, and the use of Anglo-Saxon terms is criticized, especially when referring to basic bodily functions.
Describing human waste requires the use of a French or Latin word -- feces -- not the plain English term that begins with the letter s. And bisexual love activity is referred to using the Latin-derived term "conjugal," which simply means "join together." Using the Anglo-Saxon f-word is deemed impolite.
So if you want to sound highly educated and intellectual, use as many French or Latin derived polysyllabic terminology (long words) as you can. But if being easily understood is more important, use plain English words. They're shorter and easier to pronounce.
Even so, politeness dictates that some words are not (yet) acceptable in social groups.
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