Amongst the writing fraternity, there seems to be a consensus that
bold Saxon words are better than poncy Latinate ones. For example,
"vision" has a Latin etymology, while "sight" has Saxon origins.
In the same way, "frantic" comes from the Latin, and "busy" comes
from the Saxon. It's all part of what Dave Sims, Editorial Director
of the O'Reilly Network, describes as writing like a tough guy.
Really though, it's horses for courses. If you want to give the
impression of sophistication, formality, and learning, then Latinate
words are a good choice. If you want to appear unfussy and direct,
then Saxon words are the ones to use. Match your tone to your
audience.
-- Josh Smith "Effective Writing for the Web" Webreview.com
http://webreview.com/pub/2000/03/10/feature/index4.html