A History of English Language

A history of the english language 202
occasionally the local dialects were drawn upon to embellish the language, in this case
chiefly the language of poetry. We shall see more particularly in a moment the character
of the additions made at this time, but before doing so we must consider the conflicting
views that different people held concerning their desirability.
158. The Opposition to Inkhorn Terms.
The wholesale borrowing of words from other languages did not meet with universal
favor. The strangeness of the new words was an objection to some people. As Edward
Phillips said in his New World of Words, “some people if they spy but a hard word are as
much amazed as if they had met with a Hobgoblin.” Even Elyot’s prestige did not save
him from criticism on this score. In a book published two years after The Governour he
alludes to “divers men…[who] doo shewe them selfes offended (as they say) with my
strange termes,” and he attempts to justify his practice. Other men were purists by nature
and took their stand on general principles. Such a man was Sir John Cheke. His attitude is
interesting because he was himself a fine classical scholar and might have been expected
to show sympathy for classical borrowings. In a letter to Sir Thomas Hoby, prefaced to
Hoby’s translation of The Courtier (1561), he wrote:
I am of this opinion that our own tung shold be written cleane and pure,
unmixt and unmangeled with borowing of other tunges, wherin if we take
not heed by tijm, ever borowing and never payeng, she shall be fain to
keep her house as bankrupt. For then doth our tung naturallie and
praisablie utter her meaning, when she bouroweth no counterfeitness of
other tunges to attire her self withall, but useth plainlie her own, with such
shift, as nature, craft, experiens and folowing of other excellent doth lead
her unto, and if she want at ani tijm (as being unperfight she must) yet let
her borow with suche bashfulnes, that it mai appeer, that if either the
mould of our own tung could serve us to fascion a woord of our own, or if
the old denisoned wordes could content and ease this neede, we wold not
boldly venture of unknowen wordes.
Ascham’s admiration for Cheke led him to a similar attitude. Some considered the use of
learned words mere pedantry and tried to drive them out by ridicule, calling them
“inkhorn” terms. Sir Thomas Chaloner, who translated Erasmus’ Praise of Folly in 1549,
is an example:
Such men therfore, that in deede are archdoltes, and woulde be taken yet
for sages and philosophers, maie I not aptelie calle theim foolelosophers?
For as in this behalfe I have thought good to borowe a littell of the
Rethoriciens of these daies, who plainely thynke theim selfes demygods,
if lyke horsleches thei can shew two tongues, I meane to mingle their
writings with words sought out of strange langages, as if it were alonely
thyng for theim to poudre theyr bokes with ynkehorne termes, although
perchaunce as unaptly applied as a gold rynge in a sowes nose. That and if