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marvelously apt expressions of what could never be expressed so well if our English tongue just minded its own business
I look forward to this argument’s development, and certainly relish the contribution made to the English language over the centuries by German, both in etymological history and through more recent ‘loan words’.
It strikes me that an alternate view is that these sorts of expressions rarely only do what is suggested above in actual practise. It is notable that the quoted example leant on an immediate Anglican explanation of the term. For me at least, this suggests the writer is seeking a more complex meaning – not merely “clarification” (which stems from the Latinate roots far more directly) but the more self-reflective “upwelling of clarification”. In other words, the writer wanted to draw attention both to his state of enlightenment and also to the frisson of the epiphany.
I also believe Germanic loan words are often introduced by English speakers to lend sometimes-artificial gravitas (another good Latin word!). However, there are some words that spring to mind as particularly useful – name your favourites or pet hates here…?
Entire Thread Subject Posted By Posted Words from German Wordsmith 11/13/00 05:31 PM Re: Words from German maverick 11/14/00 09:11 AM Re: Words from German shanks 11/14/00 09:50 AM Re: Words from German tsuwm 11/14/00 03:20 PM Re: Words from German maverick 11/14/00 05:07 PM Re: Words from German Father Steve 11/22/00 10:48 PM Re: Graun paulb 11/23/00 09:24 AM Re: Words from German AnnaStrophic 11/23/00 12:31 PM Re: Words from German tsuwm 11/23/00 02:14 PM Re: Words from German InADearThorn 12/02/00 04:35 AM Re: Words from German jmh 12/02/00 04:12 PM
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