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Re:The Beauty Of Typography: Writing Systems And Calligraphy... by a-priori on Tuesday June 22, 2010 @01:07PM (#1452444)
English is interesting in that we almost have two independent vocabularies. When speaking informally, you tend to use Germanic words more, and when speaking formally, you tend to use Romance words. I'm writing this formally, which is why I'm using words like "speaking" (which comes from Latin) instead of "talking" (which comes from Middle English).

For example, compare "I need to pick up bread from the store when I'm finished." (Romance words, sounds formal) to "I must get bread from the shop when I'm done." (Germanic words, sounds informal). Both mean the same thing, but (ignoring the stiff wording) the first sounds like something you would say to your grandmother, and the second sounds like something you'd say to your pal at the bar.

Re:The Beauty Of Typography: Writing Systems And Calligraphy... by mahmud on Wednesday June 23, 2010 @12:31AM (#1454116)
Minor correction. "Speaking" sounded like Germanic to me, sprechen/spreken, and Merriam Webster confirmed it. The latin roots gave us "orate", "dictate", and "eloquence".
Re:The Beauty Of Typography: Writing Systems And Calligraphy... by a-priori on Wednesday June 23, 2010 @10:27AM (#1455000)
Ah, yes, you are right about that. I don't know where I got the idea that "speak" was Latin-based.
Re:The Beauty Of Typography: Writing Systems And Calligraphy... by a-priori on Tuesday June 22, 2010 @03:34PM (#1452895)
I'd like to add that this split can be traced back to the Norman invasion of England in 1066.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_conquest_of_England#Lang...