Latin Abbreviations Like Eg, Ie And Etc To Be Banned On Government Websites

Latin abbreviations such as e.g., i.e. and etc are to be removed from UK government websites to help non-English speakers.

The move will see the abbreviations banned from Gov.uk, created by the Government Digital Service (GDS), to make things “clearer” to readers.

The Latin phrases will be removed because they are difficult for foreign speakers to understand, as well as English speakers who are “in a hurry”, the GDS said.

But campaigners for Latin said the move was “short-sighted”.

Gov.uk receives millions of visitors each month and includes all government websites.

GDS content manager Persis Howe wrote on the blog Inside Gov.uk: “We promote the use of plain English on GOV.UK.

“We advocate simple, clear language. Terms like eg, ie and etc, while common, make reading difficult for some.

“Anyone who didn’t grow up speaking English may not be familiar with them. Even those with high literacy levels can be thrown if they are reading under stress or are in a hurry - like a lot of people are on the web.”

In addition, the computer programs that read Gov.uk content for the visually impaired often mispronounce Latin abbreviations, said Ms Howe.

“There are better, clearer ways of introducing examples for all users,” she added.

But Roger Wemyss Brooks of the Latin Mass Society of England and Wales told the Sunday Telegraph: “Latin is part of our cultural heritage and it’s part of the basis of English.

“It unites us with other cultures throughout Europe and the world who have a connection with the Romance languages.

“It’s a very concise language which is used specifically for its precision and I think it’s short-sighted to be giving it up.”

(Picture: Rex)