LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.11 (09) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 11.APR.2005 (09) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: kt4nn at juno.com <kt4nn at juno.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics"

   Has English gone too far?  Why does that happen?
One could refer to the chronicles and get a general idea.
The point is that it is utilized with obscurities and may
well be a "killer".

Peter Sorensen.

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From: Global Moose Translations <globalmoose at t-online.de>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.11 (06) [E]

Jim Krause wrote:
> I sometimes wonder if English will go the way of Latin: that is, after a
> period of development will divide into several related but significantly
> different languages, just as Latin spawned French, Spanish, Protugese,
> Rumanian, Catalan, and others.

Well, at first glance it would seem that English went quite the opposite
way, being compiled out of several different, identifiable languages,
instead of splitting up. Also, I think that the forming of such crass
regional or cultural differences would be almost impossible in the days of
globalisation and the Internet. But then, who knows where we stand two
thousand years from now...

But since you mentioned Latin: where did Latin actually come from? It can't
just have fallen out of the sky and then spread like a virus. Does anyone
know whether Latin is actually a true indigenous mediterranean language
(however one would define that), or did it at some point originate as some
kind of pidgin as well? I never really thought about this, forgive me if
this is an old hat for linguists.

My 11-year-old daughter recently participated in a school production of
Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream (her older sister was Oberon - not
enough boys!). So today, when she heard me gripe about an awful translation
of an ice hockey simulation game that I had to review, she said: "Don't
worry about it - you know, Puck shall restore amends." Ouch!

Gabriele Kahn

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From: Tom Mc Rae <t.mcrae at uq.net.au>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.11 (06) [E]

On 12/04/2005, at 2:59 AM,  jpkrause <jpkrause at sunflower.com> wrote:

> I sometimes wonder if English will go the way of Latin: that is, after
> a
> period of development will divide into several related but
> significantly
> different languages,

The first signs of this evolvement are already there. American English
is already so close yet so far apart from the parent stream which
itself is also deteriorating at its lower levels. eg Awful stuff like
'Fab', 'Telly', and myriad other distortions. Even in Australia I
shudder when a couple of teenage girls start going 'Yeah but, no not.
Oh Yeah, Yeah, No.' For those of you who have watched BBC's wonderful
'Little Britain' Vickie Pollard is a classic case and her speech is for
real.
English is already adapted to languages so different the uninitiated
may not even recognise it as such.
West Africa's glorious varieties of  pidgin are good examples. eg 'Make
you go come get dis ting Atinga.' . 'Eh ! Dis monkey e go bite me
proprah !'.'As for me I go likeum toooooooo much.'.
Varieties of pidgin in the South Pacific are incomprehensible to
newcomers and that developed in Papua New Guinea has become an official
language.
You go read dis ting an you  see I go tok true. :-)
Tom Mc Rae
Brisbane Australia
Oh Wad Some Power the Giftie Gie Us
Tae See Oorsel's as Ithers See Us
Robert Burns

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