Rule of thumb : French for the head and German for the heart!

Choosing low familiar style or high formal style English can make a big difference in business - depending on which audience you are targeting. Terms have come to represent high style and official use, while Germanic origin terms have a more informal and emotional effect. Official and legal documents use more French origin terms. Those creating emotional content such as the media, advertisers, and artists use more Germanic vocabulary to maximise impact.

For example a football manager and a business manager use very different styles to describe a positive result. Both are suitable for their context. 

Football Manager : 

• The team did really well this year.
• Our whole system has got much better.
• It was a big win for us.

Business Manager :

• The team performed exceptionally this year.
• Our entire system has significantly improved.
• It was a great success for us.

The English language spoken today is a fusion of many different roots, especially French and German but also for example Latin, Celtic and Greek, not to mention the many words borrowed from all over the former British Empire. 

Top ten lists of the highest reaction terms online are dominated by Germanic terms such as love, hate, child, cash, fear, crash, crazy, best, worst, lose, burn. Even today we can often say that an angry or direct person is ”speaking pure Anglo-Saxon”. Not surprisingly almost all the major English swear words are also Germanic in origin.

The English or ”Anglish” (The Anglo-Saxons) were themselves invaders from North Germany. They overthrew the Celts in the British Isles in the 5^th and 6^th centuries. Unlike the Celts at the time, the Anglo-Saxons, (at least a minority), were literate and thus we have a record of their languages.

The linguistic mirror of the class system

What on earth happened to English between 1000 and 1400? In short:  INVASION  – not just of the land,  but of the very language and grammar of the English.

The invasion of French forces from Normandy in 1066 led to the aristocracy and power structure of the Anglo-Saxons being replaced by French speaking nobilty.This nobilty maintained French as its official language. Indeed it was not until Henry V in the 15th century that England had a king who chose to write in English rather than French. However, in the lower classes, the originally Germanic English was changing under the pressure and influence of French. While thousands of French words were brought into English, often similar Germanic forms still remained.

This duality of French/Germanic origin runs throughout English. Compare terms such as cancel versus call off, liberty versus freedom, amity versus friendship, arrange versus set up.

However the careful English user will note that the meanings do not exactly overlap. The French origin term maintains a higher style and a more official flavour while the Germanic origin term, although lower in style, can often pack a more emotional punch.

Depending on who you are addressing your message to, be careful to choose the right tone and style for the best impact.

Some examples from Business English:

• Low style: Can you ask for a little rise in the budget?
• High style: Could you request a slight increase in the budget?
• Low style: This year we will cut down on supply costs because of budget cuts.
• High style: This year we will reduce supply costs due to a diminished budget.
• Low style: We would like to make the process easier but the law does not let us.
• High style: We would like to facilitate the process, however the legislation does not permit this.
• Low style: When did you get the email?
• High style: When did you receive the email?

If you are interested in a more detailed look at the nuances of English check out our Guide to High and Low Style English here: