Uncleftish Beholding
Encyclopedia
Uncleftish Beholding is a short text written by Poul Anderson
. It is written using almost exclusively words of Germanic
origin, and was intended to illustrate what the English language
might look like if it had not received its considerable number of loanword
s from other languages, particularly Latin
, Greek
and French
.
The text is about basic atomic theory
and relies on a number of word coinings, many of which have analogues in modern German
. The title "uncleftish beholding" calque
s "atomic theory". The text begins:
It goes on to define "firststuffs" (chemical element
s), such as "waterstuff" (hydrogen
), "sourstuff" (oxygen
), and "ymirstuff" (uranium
), and "bulkbits" (molecule
s), "bindings" (compounds
), and several other terms important to "uncleftish worldken" (atomic physics
). ("Wasserstoff" and "Sauerstoff" are the modern German
words for hydrogen and oxygen, and in Dutch
the modern equivalents are "Waterstof" and "Zuurstof". "Sunstuff", meaning helium, has no cognate in any actual language. "Ymirstuff" references Ymir
, a giant in Norse mythology
comparable to Uranus
in Greek mythology
.)
The text does not completely derive from the vocabulary of the Anglo-Saxons: it uses 'around' and 'round' in several cases. This may have been an accident, but since English has no surviving descendants or relict
s of ymbe (cognate
to German um), Anderson may have realized that his only alternative to this Romance loan was laborious circumlocution. And "stuff" itself is from Old French (albeit of ultimately Frankish origin).
In addition to these few deviations from its linguistic purpose, the composition also contains one scientific inaccuracy, in claiming that helium-4
is the only stable isotope (neglecting helium-3
). Apart from this, it translates word-for-word into a sound exposition of the first few principles of atomic theory.
The text gained increased exposure and popularity when circulated around the Internet, and has served as inspiration for some inventors of Germanic English conlangs. Douglas Hofstadter
, in discussing the piece in his book Le Ton beau de Marot
, jocularly refers to the use of only Germanic roots for scientific pieces as "Ander-Saxon."
Poul Anderson
Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels, and a prodigious number of short stories...
. It is written using almost exclusively words of Germanic
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
origin, and was intended to illustrate what the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
might look like if it had not received its considerable number of loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s from other languages, particularly Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
The text is about basic atomic theory
Atomic theory
In chemistry and physics, atomic theory is a theory of the nature of matter, which states that matter is composed of discrete units called atoms, as opposed to the obsolete notion that matter could be divided into any arbitrarily small quantity...
and relies on a number of word coinings, many of which have analogues in modern German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. The title "uncleftish beholding" calque
Calque
In linguistics, a calque or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation.-Calque:...
s "atomic theory". The text begins:
- For most of its being, mankind did not know what things are made of, but could only guess. With the growth of worldken, we began to learn, and today we have a beholding of stuff and work that watching bears out, both in the workstead and in daily life.
It goes on to define "firststuffs" (chemical element
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
s), such as "waterstuff" (hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
), "sourstuff" (oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
), and "ymirstuff" (uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
), and "bulkbits" (molecule
Molecule
A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
s), "bindings" (compounds
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
), and several other terms important to "uncleftish worldken" (atomic physics
Atomic physics
Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. It is primarily concerned with the arrangement of electrons around the nucleus and...
). ("Wasserstoff" and "Sauerstoff" are the modern German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
words for hydrogen and oxygen, and in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
the modern equivalents are "Waterstof" and "Zuurstof". "Sunstuff", meaning helium, has no cognate in any actual language. "Ymirstuff" references Ymir
Ymir
In Norse mythology, Ymir, also called Aurgelmir among the giants themselves, was the founder of the race of frost giants and was later killed by the Borrs.-Etymology:...
, a giant in Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
comparable to Uranus
Uranus (mythology)
Uranus , was the primal Greek god personifying the sky. His equivalent in Roman mythology was Caelus. In Ancient Greek literature, according to Hesiod in his Theogony, Uranus or Father Sky was the son and husband of Gaia, Mother Earth...
in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
.)
The text does not completely derive from the vocabulary of the Anglo-Saxons: it uses 'around' and 'round' in several cases. This may have been an accident, but since English has no surviving descendants or relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
s of ymbe (cognate
Cognate
In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...
to German um), Anderson may have realized that his only alternative to this Romance loan was laborious circumlocution. And "stuff" itself is from Old French (albeit of ultimately Frankish origin).
In addition to these few deviations from its linguistic purpose, the composition also contains one scientific inaccuracy, in claiming that helium-4
Helium-4
Helium-4 is a non-radioactive isotope of helium. It is by far the most abundant of the two naturally occurring isotopes of helium, making up about 99.99986% of the helium on earth. Its nucleus is the same as an alpha particle, consisting of two protons and two neutrons. Alpha decay of heavy...
is the only stable isotope (neglecting helium-3
Helium-3
Helium-3 is a light, non-radioactive isotope of helium with two protons and one neutron. It is rare on Earth, and is sought for use in nuclear fusion research...
). Apart from this, it translates word-for-word into a sound exposition of the first few principles of atomic theory.
The text gained increased exposure and popularity when circulated around the Internet, and has served as inspiration for some inventors of Germanic English conlangs. Douglas Hofstadter
Douglas Hofstadter
Douglas Richard Hofstadter is an American academic whose research focuses on consciousness, analogy-making, artistic creation, literary translation, and discovery in mathematics and physics...
, in discussing the piece in his book Le Ton beau de Marot
Le Ton beau de Marot
Le Ton beau de Marot: In Praise of the Music of Language , published by Basic Books in 1997, is a book by Douglas Hofstadter in which he explores the meaning, strengths, failings, and beauty of translation....
, jocularly refers to the use of only Germanic roots for scientific pieces as "Ander-Saxon."