There are 10 human body parts whose names are only three letters long. Can you name them all? Say them out loud — no writing, no Googling.
eye · hip · arm · leg · ear · toe · jaw · rib · lip · gum
Most people get 7-8. The last two (gum and jaw) are the hardest.
Why are these words so short? Why eye and not ocular organ? Why arm and not upper extremity?
The answer is buried in a thousand years of English history — and it changes everything about how you choose your words at work.
Before we go further — tell me what you already know about where English words come from. Have you ever noticed that some English words are short and punchy, while others are long and formal? Can you think of any examples?
🎙 Speak: Tell me what you know — any examples of short vs. long words meaning the same thing?
English is not one language — it's three languages stacked on top of each other. Think of it as a geological formation: each layer was deposited by a different historical event, and each carries a completely different emotional weight.
When? The Renaissance (1400s-1600s) and the Scientific Revolution. Scholars deliberately borrowed from Latin and Greek to create "learned" vocabulary.
Where? Universities, laboratories, courtrooms, hospitals.
Feeling: Distant. Clinical. Authoritative. Impressive — but cold.
When? After the Norman Conquest of 1066. French-speaking Normans ruled England for 300 years. French became the language of power, law, and culture.
Where? Government, courts, high society, dining rooms.
Feeling: Polished. Refined. Administrative. Social distance.
When? Since the very beginning. These words have been in English for over 1,500 years — brought by the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes.
Where? The home, the field, the body, the heart. The everyday.
Feeling: Direct. Physical. Emotional. Honest. Real.
About 80% of the 1,000 most common English words are Anglo-Saxon. But if you open a dictionary of 100,000 words, the majority are Latin and French.
We live in Anglo-Saxon. We work in Latin.
And that tension — between the short, gutsy words we use at home and the long, polished words we use in meetings — is what makes English so powerful. And so dangerous, when you choose the wrong layer.
After 1066, Anglo-Saxon peasants raised the animals. French-speaking aristocrats ate them. The class divide is permanently embedded in our food vocabulary:
| Anglo-Saxon (the farmer) | French (the diner) |
|---|---|
| cow | beef (bœuf) |
| pig | pork (porc) |
| sheep | mutton (mouton) |
| calf | veal (veau) |
| deer | venison (venaison) |
Look at these word triplets. Each row means roughly the same thing, but each word comes from a different layer. Say them out loud — which feels most direct? Most formal? Most clinical?
| Anglo-Saxon | French | Latin/Greek |
|---|---|---|
| ask | question | interrogate |
| end | finish | terminate |
| rise | mount | ascend |
| fear | terror | trepidation |
| fast | rapid | expeditious |
| buy | purchase | procure |
| help | aid | assist / facilitate |
| whole | entire | comprehensive |
Now let's build your instinct for this. Below are 18 words. Sort them into the correct layer.
Click a word, then click the zone where it belongs. Trust your ear — short and blunt? Long and formal? Something in between?
Explain the pattern in your own words. Don't look at the notes above — tell me from memory:
This triplet that started our conversation is a perfect specimen:
| Anglo-Saxon | French | Greek |
|---|---|---|
| word Old English: word |
vocabulary Latin via French: vocabula |
lexicon Greek: lexikon |
A child uses words. A teacher builds vocabulary. A linguist studies the lexicon. Same concept — three different worlds.
Every time you speak in a meeting, write an email, or give a presentation, you are — consciously or not — choosing between these three layers. And that choice changes how people feel about what you're saying.
Here's a sentence you might hear in a business meeting. Read it aloud:
"We need to facilitate the optimisation of our collaborative processes to enhance operational efficiency and maximise stakeholder satisfaction."
11 Latinate words. 0 feeling.
"We need to work together better so we get more done and keep our clients happy."
Mostly Germanic words. 100% clear.
Churchill was one of history's greatest speakers precisely because he understood this. His most famous speeches are built almost entirely from Anglo-Saxon words.
Almost every single word. "We," "shall," "fight," "on," "the," "beaches," "landing," "grounds," "fields," "streets," "hills" — all Anglo-Saxon. The only possible exception is "surrender" (French origin). Churchill instinctively reached for the oldest, shortest words to convey courage and defiance.
The principle for business: When you want to persuade, inspire, or connect — go Anglo-Saxon. When you need to classify, analyse, or demonstrate expertise — reach for Latin. The best communicators move between layers deliberately.
When should you use each layer? Fill in the table below — in which business situations would each layer be most effective?
🎙 Speak: For each layer, give me two or three business situations where you'd reach for those kinds of words.
| Anglo-Saxon — Connect | French — Navigate | Latin/Greek — Demonstrate |
|---|---|---|
|
Motivational speeches Breaking bad news Vision statements Apologising sincerely Building trust quickly Storytelling in presentations |
Client correspondence Diplomatic disagreement Performance reviews Networking conversations Negotiation language Formal proposals |
Technical documentation Legal contracts Medical/scientific reports Academic publications Regulatory compliance Expert testimony |
Here's a fascinating detail: almost all English swear words are Anglo-Saxon. The "polite" alternatives are French or Latin. This is a direct legacy of the class system — the ruling Normans considered the peasants' Germanic words to be vulgar.
This means Anglo-Saxon words carry more emotional charge than their Latinate equivalents. When you stub your toe, you don't say "Malediction!" — you reach for the oldest, shortest word available.
In business, this emotional charge is your secret weapon. A CEO who says "We failed" (Anglo-Saxon) is more powerful than one who says "We experienced a suboptimal outcome" (Latin). The short word is harder to hide behind.
Time to put this into practice. You're going to "translate" corporate jargon into plain, powerful, Anglo-Saxon English — and then speak both versions aloud to feel the difference.
Rewrite each sentence using the shortest, most direct words you can find. Replace every Latinate word with an Anglo-Saxon equivalent. Then speak both versions aloud.
"We must implement a comprehensive strategy to mitigate the potential consequences of this situation."
🎙 Say it in plain English.
"The organisation has determined that the termination of your employment is effective immediately."
🎙 Say it like a real human.
"We anticipate significant revenue generation through the diversification of our portfolio."
🎙 Make it real. Make it short.
1. "We need a plan to deal with this before things get worse."
2. "You're fired. It starts now." (Brutal — but honest.)
3. "We think we'll earn a lot more money by spreading out what we sell."
Notice: the plain versions are shorter, clearer, and harder to misunderstand. They also feel more honest.
Sometimes you need the Latinate layer — for diplomacy, for precision, for credibility. Take these blunt Anglo-Saxon statements and dress them up for a boardroom.
"This plan stinks. We're throwing good money after bad."
🎙 Say it the way you'd say it in a board meeting.
"The boss lied. We were told one thing and they did another."
🎙 Say it the way HR would phrase it.
1. "I have concerns about the viability of this proposal. The return on investment may not justify continued expenditure."
2. "There appears to be a discrepancy between the commitments made and the actions subsequently taken."
Key insight: the Anglo-Saxon version is more HONEST. The Latinate version is more SAFE. In business, you need both — and the skill is knowing when to use which.
In 1989, science fiction writer Poul Anderson wrote an entire essay about atomic theory using only Germanic-root words. He called it "Uncleftish Beholding" — "uncleftish" being his Anglo-Saxon replacement for "atomic" (from "un-cleft" = unsplittable).
| Standard Scientific (Latin/Greek) | Anderson's "Anglish" |
|---|---|
| Atomic Theory | Uncleftish Beholding |
| Chemistry | Stufflore |
| Hydrogen | Waterstuff |
| Oxygen | Sourstuff |
| Nucleus | Kernel |
| Element | Firststuff |
This is the extreme — and it's playful, not practical. But it shows us how deeply Latin has penetrated our "expert" vocabulary. The point isn't to reject Latin — it's to choose consciously.
Choose 2-3 cards that interest you most. For each one, speak for about 90 seconds — explain which etymological layer you'd use and why. Give examples of specific words you'd choose.
I'm going to give you a sentence. You say it three times — once in each layer. Ready?
Saxon: "We have to let 200 people go."
French: "We need to make 200 positions redundant."
Latin: "The organisation will implement a workforce reduction affecting 200 personnel."
Notice how the human cost becomes less visible with each layer. The Latin version almost makes it sound like a spreadsheet operation.
Saxon: "This works. People love it. It sells."
French: "This product has excellent market appeal."
Latin: "This product demonstrates superior performance metrics and exceptional consumer satisfaction indices."
Saxon: "I don't get it."
French: "Could you clarify that point?"
Latin: "I require further elucidation regarding the specifics of your proposition."
The last one is satire — but people genuinely talk like that in meetings. That's the problem.
Based on everything today, write a one-sentence rule for when to use each layer in your professional life. Then speak it aloud as if explaining it to a colleague.
🎙 Tell me your one-sentence rule for each layer — as if explaining it to a colleague over coffee.
Retrieve 2-3 items from your previous lessons. This is spaced practice — strengthening memories at optimal intervals.
🎙 Tell me what you remember — no notes, just speak.
Without looking at any notes or previous tabs, answer these questions out loud:
Layer 1: Anglo-Saxon — brought by Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons, Jutes) from the 5th century. The bedrock.
Layer 2: French — arrived with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The language of power and administration for 300 years.
Layer 3: Latin/Greek — imported during the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution. The language of learning and expertise.
Any three from: ask/interrogate, help/facilitate, buy/procure, end/terminate, sweat/perspiration, fear/trepidation, begin/initiate, think/contemplate, house/domicile, gut/viscera, etc.
Anglo-Saxon: When you want to connect emotionally, build trust, inspire, apologise, tell a story, or be direct.
Latin: When you need precision, legal protection, technical authority, or diplomatic distance.
The best communicators move between layers deliberately.
Because they're Anglo-Saxon — the oldest layer of English. The most frequently used words in any language tend to be the shortest (Zipf's Law). These words have been worn down over 1,500 years of daily use, losing suffixes and prefixes until only the core syllable remains.
Answer out loud:
I can identify the three etymological layers of English (Anglo-Saxon, French, Latin/Greek), explain why some words feel more powerful or formal than others, and deliberately choose the right layer for different business communication contexts.
If this topic fascinated you (and it clearly did!), here are some threads to pull: