IUBio

Trolling for languages

Richard Kerr kerrr at CRYPTIC.RCH.UNIMELB.EDU.AU
Wed Jul 1 19:12:41 EST 1998


At 12:53 1/07/98 -0400, you wrote:
>In article <35996492.9D430F09 at banet.net>, skring at banet.net wrote:
>
>> Bryan J. Maloney wrote:
>> 
>> > Mentipoo, I "grok" the Latin you used just fine.  I also consider Latin to
>> > be useful for historians and antiquarians.  It's dead.  No natural
>> > scientist needs it these days.
>> >
>> > If you consider how many words in most modern Western languages are
composed
>> > of Latin or Greek, you would not call either a dead language.  If anything,
>> > English is an almost dead language, as there is very little Angle-ish left
>> > in it.
>> 
>> (Sorry; just couldn't resist this iconoclasm)
>
>
>I did not write the second paragraph, and whomever claims that most words
>in English are "composed of Latin or Greek" is only showing off his utter
>ignorance of English, indeed, he is only showing off his utter ignorance
>of northern European languages.

hmm, we are stretching things a little here aren't we?
'many words' is not the same as 'most words' for a start.....you only need
to READ the post for that one.  Also, there is a second subtext
here.....English is a language that has very little Angle-ish left in it, I
agree, as it has a lot (or even 'many') words with French, German or even
Slavic origins (although I admit I can't think of an example for the last
one right now).  The notion of a language being static is not supported by
many people (and IMHO laughable) as language is dynamic, just as its users
(ie: you and me) are similarly dynamic.

a little more constructive debate please.

Richard Kerr.
The Murdoch Institute,
R.C.H. Flemington Rd, Parkville, 3052,
AUSTRALIA.
kerrr at cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au
Phone (61) 3 9345 5045.
FAX   (61) 3 9348 1391.
'The most interesting things about vertebrates occur in the neural crest.'
	Peter Thorogood.




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