Uncleftish Beholding (The Atomic Theory in English)

I don’t speak English. In fact, I can’t. When it comes to language, there’s only one thing I am sure of, I don’t speak American! Poul Anderson’s essay “Uncleftish Beholding” (“Atomic Theory”) shows what English would look like if it were purged of its non-Germanic words, and used German-style compounds instead of borrowings (Latin, Greek, French, et al) to express new concepts. It has been culled from a source which culled it from the original source (“All One Universe“). I attempted including a few “non-english” translations next to some bolded words to assist you. And (if you’re not Chinese), before you give up you could read this article that explains how “Uncleftish Beholding” came about. I promise it explains a lot.

Uncleftish Beholding (The Atomic Theory) – Poul Anderson

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.