Why you need Anglish?
By Anglish Times
Anglish is a kind of English that seeks to avoid borrowed words from foreign languages. The practice of keeping a tongue clean of foreign words is known as linguistic purism, and is something done by many national language institutes worldwide. Having a regulatory body for language is seen with French, German, Chinese, and many other languages, but not English. English speaking countries have taken a hands off approach to their language throughout history, and it shows. The core vocabulary of English comes from Old English, which is a Germanic language, but in modern English only about 25% of the vocabulary is Germanic, with about 60% coming from French and Latin, and the rest from Greek and many others.
One way Anglish is beneficial over Modern English is in giving people an easier and more visceral understanding of academic or otherwise abstract concepts. For example the academic study of birds is called ornithology. Unless you already knew the Greek words Ornis, meaning bird and Logia, meaning to speak about, then you would likely have no idea what this word means upon first encountering it. Whereas if you said Birdlore, native English speakers will already know the component words making up the compound, and can guess pretty easily what it means.
In addition to being easier to learn and understand, many people would consider Anglish to be more aesthetically pleasing than modern English, owing to its more consistent matching vocabulary. While fiction is not real life, if you were world building different species who spoke different languages, you would not randomly mix and match vocabulary from each other. Gene Roddenberry did not mix up Klingon and Romulan, nor did Tolkien mix Elven and Dwarvish tongues. Each language had its own separate systems and rules, which made them unique and authentic.
The definition of the word Authentic is "of undisputed origin". This cannot be said of modern English. Its origins are disputed as to whether they are Romance or Germanic. So modern English can hardly be called authentic. Is a technician more authentic than a craftsman? Is constructing more authentic than building? Is a residential manager more authentic than a landlord? So much of modern English is using Latin or Greek jargon to make things seem more alien than they are.
Understanding the roots of words and learning their underlying meanings can be good for more than just linguistic purism, though. If you become more aware of the meaning behind words, then you will be more aware of why certain words appear in entertainment, advertisements, and other media. Having this awareness can help shield you from unwanted propaganda. Take the word lifestyle, for example. This word did not exist before the 1960s, but has since become widespread to justify people's choices and actions in life, but conceal their own agency or the consequences of said actions. A truck driver may have an on-the-go lifestyle, and what do people on-the-go do? Eat fast food, not exercise, and spend very little time with their family. But that's just their lifestyle, and it sounds much more pleasant to put it that way.
Even if you already have a massive academic vocabulary and don't need simple Germanic words, and even if you don't care about the aesthetics or authenticity of a language, Anglish can benefit you anyway. Knowing when to use a Germanic or Romance word in your writing or speeches can make them more dynamic. Using exotic foreign words can give something an allure, while sticking with familiar words helps you connect with your audience.
Regardless of your motivations or where you personally want to see Anglish end up, this is a project that doesn't harm Modern English in any way, and benefits almost everyone who becomes involved with it. Whether they only learn some cool etymology and gain unique insights, or Anglish fuels their creative endeavors. This language revival movement has something to offer everyone. If you are a writer, filmmaker, or artist of any kind, you should try incorporating Anglish into some of your work and see what happens.
The Anglish Times can be found online here. This provides news stories and a Modern English to Anglish dictionary (or wordbook). You can find Anglish Times on X here and you can join their Discord too.
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