Which statement best describes the Inkhorn controversy?

Which statement best describes the Inkhorn controversy?

• A. A campaign to standardize spelling
• B. A campaign to borrow from German
• C. A rejection of foreign words
• D. A period of pride in English that led to borrowing, coinage, and affixation

Answer: (D)

The Inkhorn controversy centers on attitudes to expanding English vocabulary through borrowing and word-formation in the early modern period. Writers and scholars debated whether English should absorb foreign terms (especially from Latin, Greek, and French) to show learning, leading to a surge in new borrowings, coined words, and affixation. This reflects a period of pride in English’s growth and capability. That’s why the best description is a time when English vocabulary expanded through borrowing, coinage, and affixation. It’s not primarily about standardizing spelling, nor about borrowing from German in particular, nor a blanket rejection of foreign words.

The Inkhorn controversy centers on attitudes to expanding English vocabulary through borrowing and word-formation in the early modern period. Writers and scholars debated whether English should absorb foreign terms (especially from Latin, Greek, and French) to show learning, leading to a surge in new borrowings, coined words, and affixation. This reflects a period of pride in English’s growth and capability. That’s why the best description is a time when English vocabulary expanded through borrowing, coinage, and affixation. It’s not primarily about standardizing spelling, nor about borrowing from German in particular, nor a blanket rejection of foreign words.