Bona fide 真正的/真实的, ad lib 即兴撰造, quid pro¹ quo 补偿物/交换物... English is full of Latin words and phrases which are used as a kind of shorthand 速记.

But some local councils say that Latin is elitist and discriminatory 具优越感和带有歧视的, because people might not understand it - particularly if English isn't their first language.

Bournemouth council in the south of England is the latest local authority 地方当局 to draw up a list 制定了一分清单 of nineteen phrases which its staff are no longer allowed to use, verbally or in official correspondence 口语或正式书信.

Other local councils have banned QED 这就是所要证明的 and ad hoc 特别的. The move has prompted derision 嘲笑 among some linguists².

We asked Dr Peter Jones, the co-founder of the charity Friends of Classics to imagine that he was a civil servant in charge of implementing³ 实施 the ban. What sort of memo⁴ 备忘录 might he have to write?

“You will be aware that a number of councils has decided⁵ that all Latin words and phrases should be subject to a veto 否决, e.g. 'e.g.', et cetera 等等. Ergo 所以/因此, some will think this hocus-pocus 戏弄/欺骗, but I say you cannot allow the status quo 现状 to remain as it is".

But the move has been welcomed by the Plain English Campaign which says some officials only use Latin to make themselves feel important.

A campaign spokesman said the ban might stop people confusing the Latin abbreviation 缩写 'e.g.' with the word egg. The debate may well continue ad nauseam 冗长乏味的.