LL-L: "Language varieties" LOWLANDS-L, 26.MAR.2000 (01) [E/S/French]

[Lowlands-L Administrator]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 26.MAR.2000 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
 Posting Address: <lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org>
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 A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
 LS=Low Saxon (Low German), S=Scots, Sh=Shetlandic
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From: Andrew Eagle [K27 at compuserve.com]
Subject: Language Varieties [S/E]

A fund this in a newsgroup:
---------
A rather snooty linguistics expert came up from the home counties to
give a lecture in one of the Scottish universities.

The first part of his lecture, was on why, precisely, in his opinion,
Scots was a dialect and not a language.  This was greeted with a
polite, if unenthusiastic response.(We've all been there)

The second part of his lecture, was concerning the more idiosyncratic
characteristics of particular languages. He began:
" The double negative, in most languages, like English for example, of
course means 'Yes!', but , in some languages, like Russian, it still
means 'No!'.
Reciprocally, however, there are no languages of which I am aware,
where the double affirmative is taken to mean 'No!'

Immediately from the back of the hall came the response:

"Ay, richt!"
----------------------
Andy

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