Classical Influence, Greek & Latin!

During the Renaissance, too many new Latin and Greek words were borrowed in English. The Renaissance was a period of increased activity in almost every field. The re-discovery of Latin and Greek literature led to new activity in the modern English. Most of the classical words borrowed were ‘learned’ words- i.e. they were used in writing rather than in ordinary conversation. Some of this Greek words borrowed in the sixteenth century are alphabet, basic, chorus, drama, dilemma, epic, irony, pathos; from Latin are area, circus, ignorance, vagary etc.

Painting by Vikram Roy © 2012.

Most of these borrowings are based on the native formations of classical words, such as, attemptate, factuate, etc. Some classical words were simply taken over. A random list of nouns and adjectives and verbs would show among them: maturity, augmentation, garnish, strange, new etc.

Classical words have been invaluable to the English in terms of metaphysical and natural sciences- philology, zoology, biology, anthropology, anatomy, astronomy, philosophy, telephone (‘tele’ is distance and ‘phone’ is sound or voice), telegraph (‘graph’ is writing). Greek fragments like thermo, hyper, -logy, -nomy, are frequently added with new English words.

Greek scientific words are often used in English language- thermometer, perambulator, geology, astrology, astronomy etc. Greek and Latin suffixes and prefixes have considerably added with the English vocabulary- comrade, ex-king, bi-lingual, international, inter-state etc.

Classical formations were useful in getting new adjectives-

Nose- Nasal

Sun- Solar

Moon- Lunar

Father- Fatherly

Mother- Maternal

Brother- Brotherly

Etc.

  Hybrids are formed with Greek and Latin suffixes and prefixes- starvation, talkative, (suffixes); admiration, mechanic, (prefixes). Jesperson has pointed out that “the classical words adopted since the Renaissance have enriched the English language and have specially increased the number of synonyms”.