To Shit or Defecate?

http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/l.html

"Words of Germanic origin tend to be shorter, more direct, more blunt, while Latinate words tend to be polysyllabic, and are often associated with higher and scientific diction. If you want a memorable example, compare the connotations of shit (from the Germanic scitan) with those of defecate (from the Latin defaecare)."

and

"you'll sound more blunt, more straightforward, even more forthright, if you draw your words from Germanic roots. An extensively Latinate vocabulary, on the contrary, suggests a more elevated level of diction. Choose your words carefully, then, with constant attention to your audience and the effects you want to have on"

Very much reminds me of shakespeare using simple couplets when he was trying to appeal to a general audience, and then a fancier rhyme scheme when not.


Also somewhat related is this issue of "U and non-U English"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_and_non-U_English

Looking at the word lists, it almost looks to me like the non-Upper class words are attempting to seem fancy.