Linguistic purism in English

Linguistic purism in the English language is the belief that words of native origin should be used instead of foreign-derived ones (which are mainly Latinate and Greek). "Native" (inborn) can mean "Anglo-Saxon" (Engelsaxish) or it can be widened to include all Germanic (Theedish) words. In its mildest form, it merely means using existing native words instead of foreign-derived ones (such as using begin instead of commence). In a less mild form, it also involves coining new words from Germanic roots (such as for vocabulary). In a more extreme form, it also involves reviving native words that are no longer widely used (such as for intend). The resulting language is sometimes called Anglish (coined by the author and humorist Paul Jennings), Roots English (referring to the idea that it is a "return to the roots" of English), among other names. The mild form is often advocated as part of Plain English, but the more extreme form has been and continues to be a fringe movement.

English linguistic purism is discussed by David Crystal in the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. The idea dates at least to the inkhorn term controversy of the 16th and 17th centuries. In the 19th century, writers such as Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and William Barnes advocated linguistic purism and tried to introduce words like for ornithology and for flexible. A notable supporter in the 20th century was George Orwell, who advocated what he saw as plain Saxon words over complex Latin or Greek ones, and the idea continues to have advocates today.

Old English adopted a small number of Greco-Roman loan words from an early period, especially in the context of Christianity (, , ). From the 9th century (Danelaw) it borrowed a much larger number of Old Norse words, many for every-day terms (, , ).

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