I hope that John Haden's letter (see [2004] Gazette, 8 July, 16) does not provoke a postbag of letters from correspondents, all airing their linguistic preferences.

Unlike Latin, English is a living language and constantly changes to meet the needs of its users. The verb 'to enjoin' is rarely used. Whatever its original, Latin derivation, the use of the term 'injunction' now has a restricted meaning. You can enjoin your child to keep his elbows off the table (although you will probably tell him to), but you can only injunct someone in court. Thus, there is now a verb 'to injunct'. 'Legal' is short for 'the legal department' or 'legal affairs' and 'head of legal' has become common-place. Whether you like it is a matter of taste, but it is here to stay - until the next change.



Jonathan Austin, Boys & Maughan, Margate, Kent