5 Words and phrases from other languages
When reading academic texts, you may meet words and phrases from other languages, usually
Latin, German or French. They are generally used because there is no exact English equivalent,
and they are often printed in italics:
While the basic tripartite division of the theory into jus ad bellum, jus in belloand jus post-
bellum, and the criteria related to each...(meaning: reasons for going to war, laws of warfare and rules for post-war)You are not expected to use these phrases in your own writing, but it is useful to understand
them when you read. They can be found in a dictionary, but some of the more common are
listed below:
Latin
ad hoc unplanned
de facto as it really isde jure according to law
inter alia among otherspro rata proportionalFrench
à propos on the subject ofancien regime old ruling system
coup d’état military takeoverfait accompli accomplished fact
raison d’être reason for livingGerman
Mittelstand small and medium-sized companies
Mitteleuropa central EuropeRealpolitik political reality
Zeitgeist spirit of the times166 Part 3: Vocabulary for Writing