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[–] 12499348? 0 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago 

This seems more like a curiosity or a linguistic finger exercise than anything that could become practical on a large level. Leanwords have made their way into other languages and succeeded in rooting there for good reasons - sometimes for describing a concept that cannot be properly expressed in the native language (Schadenfreude, Arubeito), sometimes for being much more concise and avoiding obvious compounds (Asia > Sunriselandblock, Japan > Dawnland).

It would be most useful as a stylistic choice for artistic reasons, such as Lee Hollander's Poetic Edda written in Anglish (where it is highly appropriate and reads closer to the old Norse than modern English, without being too difficult to comprehend).

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[–] seeker 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago  (edited ago)

This idea of the latin-ization of the English language is much older than this website or name "Anglish". I read a satirical essay on this from a prominent author. The central premise is that words of latin origin are mechanical and devoid of emotion, and the latin-ization of English, while increasing precision, destroys the deeper meanings of it. Example of true english vs latin-ized word is eat vs ingest. There were parts of the essay written using only latin-ized words where even though it's technically English it becomes unintelligible and boring.

Can't find the link though....

  1. George Orwell - Politics and the English Language (1946) I don't think this is the essay I was remembering, but similar.

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[–] TheRealMaestro ago 

I contend that loanwords ever are truly necessary in any civilised country's language. They break a language's internal rhythm, whether through accent or sounds. It does not take much fantasy to translate a word literally, and it takes little more to coin an alternative which is easily understood by our own schoolboys instead to the Greeks': there is no loss as Weltanschauung becomes worldview. Compounds are not ugly in themselves.

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[–] 12503543? ago 

Necessary? No. But neither is the automobile replacing the horse as mode of transportation nor artifical ammonia replacing horse dung as a fertilizer "necessary". They have simply succeeded through being more succinct than its alternative, and I would argue that in some cases they are still irreplaceable. For example, the Greek arete could be translated as "virtue", but it would be misleading especially in the context of ancient greek philosophy, and with all the other baggage the term "virtue" has collected since (7 cardinal virtues, etc.).