Councils ban use of Latin terms

[flumperino]

Several councils have banned the use of Latin terminology

A number of local councils in Britain have banned their staff from using Latin words, because they say they might confuse people.
Several local authorities have ruled that phrases like "vice versa", "pro rata", and even "via" should not be used, in speech or in writing.
But the ban has prompted anger among some Latin scholars.
Professor Mary Beard of Cambridge University said it was the linguistic equivalent of ethnic cleansing.
Some local councils say using Latin is elitist and discriminatory, because some people might not understand it - particularly if English is not their first language.
Bournemouth Council is the latest local authority to draw up a list of nineteen phrases which its staff are no longer allowed to use, either verbally or in official correspondence.
Other local councils have banned "QED" and "ad hoc", while other typical Latin terms include "bona fide", "ad lib" and "quid pro quo".
But the move has been welcomed by the Plain English Campaign which says some officials only use Latin to make themselves feel important.
A Campaign spokesman said the ban might stop people confusing the Latin abbreviation e.g. with the word "egg".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7705922.stm

Perhaps we should just communicate with grunts and lip-smacking sounds?

[Zippeyrude]

fucking madness.

lets use 'brain shower', 'push the envelope', '360-degree feedback' or 'im a public servant cunt with no brain or bollocks' instead

[BertRoot]

Outfuckingrageous. Kiss my cunnilingus you fellatio loving cunts.

[Waka]

Brain-dead. Rather than pay attention in school and speak properly let's descend to the lowest common denominator and have everything written in chav-speak...ovverwise we ent gunna no nefink innit

W.

[Over Carl]

Personally I think it's not a bad idea. Afaik, latin is generally only taught in private schools, and even then the majority of those private schooled children resent having to learn it and forget most as soon as they're done.

A council should be accessible by all. I think drives to get stuff printed in multiple languages and approved by the plain english campaign are a great idea. Keeping stuff in latin imo is sticking two fingers up at that way of thinking.

I see people's point about education but I don't agree. In my line of work I often have to explain things to people they don't understand. I can use the language I would prefer and just call the majority of the company dumb cunts for not understanding, or I can use my brain to word things in a way they will be understood. Council workers, as public servants, should do the same.

[Mule]

Brain-dead. Rather than pay attention in school and speak properly let's descend to the lowest common denominator and have everything written in chav-speak...ovverwise we ent gunna no nefink innit

W.

As Over carl said, I don't recall ever being taught any of the Latin terms mentioned in the article in school.

[flumperino]

I completely take the point, but I didn't learn the meaning of any of these words when I studied Latin at school. Is it fair to say that all the terms mentioned in the article have passed into the vernacular, and so are just words like any others?

[FireBlade]

Yea I hate it when the council workers call me stuff like "Essay" and "Cabron" ;-)

[Zippeyrude]

next they will be telling us that to display national flags during the world cup is racist.

[TwoPlAnKs]

If you don't know what via, vice versa or pro-rata mean, you're not going to know half the other words you need for a civilized conversation either. Most people who use those words wouldn't even know they are Latin, and I'm sure people who learn English wouldn't mind having to learn them since they appear in English dictionaries with all of our other words.

I sometimes will use a rarer word and get a blank stare much like everyone does - everyone is going to know at least one word that the person they are talking to hasn't heard - but its part of normal conversation to notice them failing to understand and repeating with another phrase or explaining the meaning of the one you did use. That's how language continues to be taught after people finish learning it formally, and even much of the formal learning is in this style.

I'm normally not too fussed about all this "PC gone mad" crap that people come out with when some eedjit changes the words to a song to avoid offending somebody or something like it, for the simple reason that its one misguided decision that has no real affect on anybody apart from those who choose to be offended by it, but deliberately banning certain useful words is a direct attempt at dumbing down our society to the lowest level.

If you know these words you should use them, and share them with those who don't. Otherwise we're going to end up with an even greater divide between the lesser and more educated.

And then there's the stupidity of selecting only those words taken from Latin. I bet a lot more people know what 'via' means compared to non-Latin words like periphrasis, which is exactly what would appear if we did ban lots of useful terms.

A quick flick through a dictionary with etymological notes will show you what an amazing number of our words originate in Latin and other languages - a ban on directly taking words now will prevent this expansion of our language from ever continuing.

[Speshal]

Most people who use those words wouldn't even know they are Latin.

Lol that's me then, I never knew via was Latin until just now. I can understand the need for clear communication but as everyone has said many Latin terms have found their way into current usage and are part of the language, surely to ban Latin words means they should ban metaphorical phrases and the use of Roman numerals. Fuck sake, there's a lot more important things a council should worry about.

[Argyll]

I think this is just sensationalist journalism. I work for the council and I've never heard anything and I deal with councillors/publc daily.

[Over Carl]

TwoPlanks had a very good point. Certain words are pretty much english - I bet via is probably listed in the dictionary as an english word with latin roots. Part of me thinks maybe there should be an acceptable list of latin words - but do you trust your council to ever get anything right - hence a blanket ban may be the only way.

At the end of the day, some matters are complicated enough to demand the use of unusual words. In some matters, people will throw them round to scare off newbies. Local authority dealings with us are neither.

[Mule]

I wonder if they banned C.V.

[hxbro]

and there was me thinking via was a chipset maker

[Nathz29]

What gash, if you get a dictionary you'll see a the whole language is rooted in latin!

[Godscrasher]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallsend_Metro_station

Does this mean if North Tyneside Council get a hold of this, they will ban the Metro from using latin on their Metro Station in Wallsend.