Inkhorn controversy

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Inkhorn controversy

Masterlanguage: Language Variation and Change

Larieke Vugteveen & Carla Arnold

What is the Inkhorn Controversy

‘inkhorn terms’

were strange and obscure words, often used by scholars (the ‘inkhorn’ connection), and generally borrowed into English from foreign tongues.

These borrowings were sometimes seems as excessive or unneccesarily complicated

What did the Inkhorn controversy cause?

The first great debate on the usage of language 

Two sides of the debate

Side 1: These people thought foreign borrowings are a useful addition to the language.

Side 2: Imported words create a "Mingle mangle" of English. Against the new introduced of all of these borrowings from Greek, Latin and French.

 

Where does the word come from?

An ‘inkhorn’ is an inkwell.

Therefore this created a connection between the scholarly and writing. 

How many words were introduced?

They estimate that about 13.000 words were introduced between 1575 and 1675

What words were introduced?

dismiss, celebrate, encyclopedia, commit, capacity, ingenious

Words that we still use to this day.

Other words faded away after being introduced

Alternative words 

Gleeman (musician)

Inwit (conscience)

Yeartide (anniversary)

Starlore (astronomy)

Speechcraft (grammar)

Did we need these terms?

Some we did as there were no technical terms for them in English. 

Some were not needed as there was a Germanic counterparts which were were more often than not replaced by their Latin counterparts.

Later changes to original loans

Dropping the Latin ending 

expunge -> Latin expungere 

 imitate -> Latin imitatus, meaning ‘copied’. 

 invitation -> Latin invitationem.

Later changes to original loans

Latin suffixes getting an English Equivalent

 -ence -> transcendence = -entia ->  transcendentia. 

-able -> Inviolable = -abilis -> Inviolabilis

-y -> parody = -ia -> parodia

-y -> Commentary = -ius -> commentarius 

Later changes to original loans

Semantic meaning change

Dislocation (dislocationem)

when a bone is displaced

Vs Shakespeare's

 ‘dislocate and tear [her] flesh and bones’.

Positive

Negative

the most ancient English words are of one syllable, so that the more monosyllables that you use the truer Englishman you shall seem, and the less you shall smell of the inkhorn. George Gascoigne (1535–1577), an Elizabethan poet, dramatist and early literary critic who wrote an essay entitled Certayne notes of instruction concerning the making of verse or rhyme in English.

I know no reason why I should not use them [foreign words]: for it is in deed the ready way to inrich our tongue, and make it copious, and it is the way which all tongues have taken to inrich them selves. George Pettie (), in the 1581 preface to his translation of a book about Renaissance manners: Stefano Guazzo’s The Civile Conversation.

I knowe no other names than are given by strangers, because there are fewe or none at all in our language. The unknown author of a Discourse of Warre justifying his use of foreign military terms.

I am this opinion that our own tung should be written cleane and pure, unmixt and unmangeled with borrowing of other tunges, wherein if we take not heed of tijm, euer borrowing and neuer paying, she shall fain to keep her house as bankrupt. Sir John Cheke (1514–1557), a scholar and statesman; in a letter appended to a translation of Castiglione’s The Courtier (1528).

sicker

1. naturally
2. surely
3. certainly

yblent

1. able
2. blunt
3. confused

Attractive

1. Allegiant
2. Illecebrous
3. sumaq

Exolete

1. Faded
2. Exfoliate
3. Obsolete

Gleeman

1. Cheerful man
2. Musician
3. Bard

Any Questions?