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November 03, 2008
Sermo datur cunctis; animi sapientia paucis
Local authorities have decided slow-witted foreigners, no hopers and the lowest common denominator shall henceforth rule the English - and Roman - language.
Bournemouth Council, which has the Latin motto Pulchritudo et Salubritas, meaning beauty and health, has listed 19 terms it no longer considers acceptable for use. This includes bona fide, eg (exempli gratia), prima facie, ad lib or ad libitum, etc or et cetera, ie or id est, inter alia, NB or nota bene, per, per se, pro rata, quid pro quo, vis-a-vis, vice versa and even via.
Its list of more verbose alternatives, includes "for this special purpose", in place of ad hoc and "existing condition" or "state of things", instead of status quo.
In instructions to staff, the council said: "Not everyone knows Latin. Many readers do not have English as their first language so using Latin can be particularly difficult."
Its list of more verbose alternatives, includes "for this special purpose", in place of ad hoc and "existing condition" or "state of things", instead of status quo.
In instructions to staff, the council said: "Not everyone knows Latin. Many readers do not have English as their first language so using Latin can be particularly difficult."
The average eleven year old Harry Potter reader can do better than this. It is our fault for allowing ourselves to be governed by half-wits instead of placing them in the stocks where they belong.
Handy: This Latin motto generator.
Posted by Ghost of a flea at November 3, 2008 05:43 AM