Laurie Bauer - WordPress.com — Get a Free Blog Here

22
Foreign expressions
Although fewer people learn Latin in schools than used to be the case, there is
still a tradition of using Latin words and phrases (and occasionally some from
other languages as well) in academic prose, as if these were part of English.
Some of these which are used in bibliographical references are mentioned in
section 34, but are repeated in table 22.1 for ease of reference. All these expressions
may or may not be italicised.
Table 22.1 Foreign expressions
Foreign expression Abbreviation Language Meaning
(if used) (if not Latin)
a fortiori with stronger reason
a posteriori from the latter; by experiment
a priori from the preceding (often used to
indicate argument from basic
principles)
ad hominem against the man (as opposed to
arguing against the principle)
caveat warning of conditions or stipulations
(literally: ‘let him beware’)
ceteris paribus other things being equal
(conditio) sine
qua non
indispensable condition
confer cf. compare
et alii, et aliae et al. and others
ex hypothesi from the hypothesis, hypothetically