Common Latin Phrases Revealed
Latin phrases pop up frequently in reading, no matter what genre you read most. They are conventionally italicized, which calls attention to them, but at the same time, their meaning is not always immediately apparent to those of us who aren't citizens of the Roman Empire. I spent years just skipping over them, satisfied with my vague understanding of what they meant, and I'm sure many of us do the same thing. They're so common that we can understand how they're used without ever knowing what they actually mean.
Problems occur when we try them out in our own writing. Latin phrases might suggest themselves as appropriate when one is making a point, especially when trying to sound erudite. It can be tempting to use common Latin phrases that we don't necessarily understand, though, and when we do this, we risk sounding pompous, foolish, or both.
The following is a sample of Latin phrases often encountered and less frequently understood, that should be used rarely at best. I've often found myself typing, then rapidly backspacing a few of these
Ad infinitum. To infinity. This signifies a repetitious process that cannot concievably be exhausted. The tide comes in and goes out, comes in again, and goes out again, ad infinitum. Not to be confused with et cetera.
Ad nauseam. To the point of nausea. This tells us that something, such as a discussion, has gone on to the point where everyone is sick of it. Formally, it can refer to an assertion that is used repeatedly when other logical assertions are available. TV ad campaigns are often repeated ad nauseam. Often mispelled "ad nauseum."
Et cetera. And so forth. This is used at the end of the list to indicate that more examples could be included, but aren't. It does not mean there are inexhaustable other examples. The use of "etc." can make a list seem vague, indicating sloppy thought by the writer, and should be a avoided.
Per se. By itself. This one is a grave and frequent offender. People often incorrectly stick "per se" at the end of a clause to indicate that the idea just expressed is imprecise or vague, or that they expect their reader to misunderstand them at first. It indicates that the clause or its object contains more nuance, and should always be followed by an explanation. The phrase is not pretentious, per se, but it's often used by pretentious writers.
Sic. Thus. Sic is used in quoted passages to indicate that an error in the original has been preserved, and that this is not the fault of the author doing the quoting. Since quoted passages must be reproduced faithfully, "sic" can come in handy, especially when quoting poorly edited or handwritten documents.
Sui generis. Of its own kind. This is a Neo-Latin term (created after the Renaissance) found mainly in legal and academic contexts. It refers to something that can be understood only according to its own substance, that defies categorization or comparison to other examples. The impact of the internet on our lives must be understood sui generis; it has no historical parallel.
Do a Google blog search for any of these, especially "per se," and you will quickly realize that the misuse of Latin phrases has been going on ad nauseum for a long time. These six examples by no means exhaust the list; they're just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. Feel free to comment and suggest any others.
Problems occur when we try them out in our own writing. Latin phrases might suggest themselves as appropriate when one is making a point, especially when trying to sound erudite. It can be tempting to use common Latin phrases that we don't necessarily understand, though, and when we do this, we risk sounding pompous, foolish, or both.
The following is a sample of Latin phrases often encountered and less frequently understood, that should be used rarely at best. I've often found myself typing, then rapidly backspacing a few of these
Ad infinitum. To infinity. This signifies a repetitious process that cannot concievably be exhausted. The tide comes in and goes out, comes in again, and goes out again, ad infinitum. Not to be confused with et cetera.
Ad nauseam. To the point of nausea. This tells us that something, such as a discussion, has gone on to the point where everyone is sick of it. Formally, it can refer to an assertion that is used repeatedly when other logical assertions are available. TV ad campaigns are often repeated ad nauseam. Often mispelled "ad nauseum."
Et cetera. And so forth. This is used at the end of the list to indicate that more examples could be included, but aren't. It does not mean there are inexhaustable other examples. The use of "etc." can make a list seem vague, indicating sloppy thought by the writer, and should be a avoided.
Per se. By itself. This one is a grave and frequent offender. People often incorrectly stick "per se" at the end of a clause to indicate that the idea just expressed is imprecise or vague, or that they expect their reader to misunderstand them at first. It indicates that the clause or its object contains more nuance, and should always be followed by an explanation. The phrase is not pretentious, per se, but it's often used by pretentious writers.
Sic. Thus. Sic is used in quoted passages to indicate that an error in the original has been preserved, and that this is not the fault of the author doing the quoting. Since quoted passages must be reproduced faithfully, "sic" can come in handy, especially when quoting poorly edited or handwritten documents.
Sui generis. Of its own kind. This is a Neo-Latin term (created after the Renaissance) found mainly in legal and academic contexts. It refers to something that can be understood only according to its own substance, that defies categorization or comparison to other examples. The impact of the internet on our lives must be understood sui generis; it has no historical parallel.
Do a Google blog search for any of these, especially "per se," and you will quickly realize that the misuse of Latin phrases has been going on ad nauseum for a long time. These six examples by no means exhaust the list; they're just the ones I could think of off the top of my head. Feel free to comment and suggest any others.
posted by Kevin at
11:57 AM
2 Comments:
I think talking about the "misuse" of Latin by the general population is a non sequitur. "Per se" is so common that it's been adapted to have its own usage in English, one that is incorrect only in the sense that it's not very faithful to the original Latin.
Aren't I usually the one making the argument that the way people use things is the right way, even if it's not necessarily right?
Anyway my problem is not with its misuse, but with its imprecise and pretentious use. In the previous sentence, I could've used "per se" as it typically is, and said "not with its misuse, per se but...," but I didn't, because it only muddles things up.
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