Remember that "hindsight/retrospect" game?

[xiphias]

aranel is really good at it. So, if you remember, we're looking for pairs of English words which are synonyms, in which both of the words are created from root words in which, in ONE of the pairs, all the roots are Latinate, and in the other pair, they are all Anglo-Saxon/Germanic.

aranel came up with "foretell and predict", "forerunner and precursor", and "overseer and supervisor" (and therefore "oversee" and "supervise").

So, the further question is, is there a connotative distinction between the words "hindsight, foretell, forerunner, overseer/oversee" and "retrospect, predict, precursor, supervise/supervisor"? Does ONE set FEEL different than the other set?

For me, the sets do feel different. One way I was trying to put it into words is that the first set feels like it would fit in a fantasy novel, while the second set would fit into a science fiction novel.

Also, the first set feels more "blue-collar" while the second set is more "white-collar".

In some sense, I feel that English still has that Saxon/Norman cultural split

Comments

[undauntra.livejournal.com]

Subterranean and underground?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

That's not bad.

[happybat.livejournal.com]

I think for me the first set feels older. Which I suppose fits with the fantasy novel/sci fi novel split? I would probably tend to use the first set more if I was trying to sound sincere, heartfelt, and the second set for more formal, colder writing.

Interesting post!

[madcaptenor.livejournal.com]

Wikipedia has a list!

[roozle.livejournal.com]

There are the long lists of words that are NOT synonyms because they do reflect the class and culture difference between Saxon and Norman. I had fun coming up with such a list in the past. Walk and march for one example.

[navrins]

This is actually something I've noticed as I've been toying with Italian lately. Lots of words in Italian sound much more formal than the English word you would use in the same situation, because the Italian is always based on the Latin form, which in English is more formal. But in Italian it's the only word there is; it doesn't have the Saxon pseudo-synonym that feels common in English.

The same is true of French, of course, but I don't recall noticing it when I studied French. Possibly I did and have forgotten; possibly I didn't because I was much younger then.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

With French, you're farther from Latin, but you're nearer to the Norman words in English.

[dancing-kiralee.livejournal.com]

Latin roots are more commonly found in formal and scientific writing... so non-formal and non-scientific words with Latin roots, like these, still end up sounding more formal and scientific.

Of course what I actually noticed is that the second set sounded very Victorian, like it would fit well in either Victorian Fantasy or Victorian Science Fiction.

And what I'd find most interesting as a reader is if someone used the second set for Victorian Fantasy. The use of "scientific" sounding words to describe magic would make the voice of the novel distinctive; while the use of those words in a Victorian setting would make them seem natural, rather than jarring.

Although clearly that's not the only thing one could do with this sort of dichotemy.

Kiralee