Atomic Physics Explained in Pure Anglo-Saxon Without Latin Words
Atomic Physics in Pure Anglo-Saxon
I explore the fundamental building blocks of our world using only ancient English roots. From the smallest unclefts to the complex bindings that create matter, this journey reveals how firststuffs link together. We examine the kernel, the bernstonebit, and the mysterious lightrotting that powers our sun and our weapons. It is a fresh look at the deep truths of physics, stripped of foreign jargon.
Nor are stuff and work unakin. Rather, they are groundwise the same, and one can be shifted into the other.
- kazinator
It works like this in some languages; e.g. Japanese technical terminology is linked word formation originating from Chinese.
Atom: 原子: (genshi) "primitive progeny".
Element: 原素: (genso) "primitive element".
Hydrogen: 水素: (suiso) "water element".
Oxygen: 酸素: (sanso) "acid element".
Carbon: 炭素: (tanso) "charcoal element".
Chlorine: 塩素: (enso) "salt element".
Coal: 石炭: (sekitan) "stone charcoal".
Carbon dioxide: 二酸化炭素 (nisan-ka tanso): "two acid/'oxid' -ized carbon".
Line, ray: 線: line, ray.
Ultraviolet ray: 紫外線 (shigaisen): "purple outside-of ray".
Infrared ray: 赤外線 (sekigaisen): "red outside-of ray".
Deep infrared: 遠赤外線 (ensekigaisen): "far red outside-of ray".
Yamanote train line: 山手線 (yamanotesen). :)
Amplification: 増幅 (zōfuku) "increase width".
Instrument: 器 (ki).
Amplifier: 増幅機 (zōfuku ki) "increase width instrument".
Difference: 差 (sa)
Differential amplifier: 差動増幅器 (sadō zōfukuki) "difference movement increase width instrument"
- nephihaha
I'm amazed at how much I could understand of that. I presume ymirstuff is uranium. Many of the others are more obvious.
- ceuk
This is so great and such a great example of the sociolinguistic prestige given to certain types of words in English.
It's so funny how all this is doing is naming things in almost exactly the same manner we did name them but using germanic words instead of latin or french words and yet words like "stuff" feel so plain whilst "matter" feels much more erudite.
It's 2026 and we still have this incredibly strong bias which probably originally arose when the roman empire carved europe into civilised and uncivilised parts. A bias which has been reinforced by medieval scholars, the normans and various others until it's part of the bones of english. Latin = clever, Germanic = plain/direct.
Justice for Anglish!
- rramadass
The wikipedia article linked to in the beginning contains a glossary if you want to understand this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncleftish_Beholding
- aappleby
This was lovely.