Sir, - James J. McAuley (books, January 8th) criticises the use by the poet Micheal O Siadhail of "Latinate Cognitives". Whatever the merits of this case, it is scarcely advanced by the fact that two of the five examples adduced by Mr McAuley - the words "loneness" and "freedom" - are not Latin-based, but of ancient English stock. Verb sap. - Yours, etc.,
Brian Arkins, Associate Professor of Classics, NUI, Galway.