[gothic-l] Re: Gothic, Yiddish and High German

[llama_nom]

Devil's Advocate mode: Apparent similarity isn't always the whole
story.  Languages relationships can't always be represented by a
neat branching family tree.  There may be parallel evolution, and a
cultural and geographical closeness can lead to similarities between
languages that were once more distant relations, while
a 'genetically' close relation can end up looking superficially very
different.  In mainland Scandinavia, for example, Norwegian has
undergone many developments in common with Danish and Swedish,
obscuring its one-time closer kinship with Icelandic.

That said, Yiddish certainly seems VERY CLEARLY like a variety of
German to me.  I can't see any way in which it's more like Gothic
than any other German dialect.  So unless we have any specific
suggestions there's no reason to doubt the conventional view yet.

Llama Nom


--- In gothic-l at yahoogroups.com, macmaster at r... wrote:
> It seems to me that someone familiar with the various languages --
Gothic,
> medieval high German, and Yiddish -- should be able to tell fairly
easily
> what the relation is among them (in the same way that the closer
relation
> between say Old English and Old Saxon than either to Gothic is
readily
> visible) ...
> I don't have the necessary skills and, before even touching the
subject of
> how such a linguistic relationship might have worked (drawing in
the whole
> question of the Khazarian kaganate, etc), I'd like to know whether
it is
> even possible.  If Yiddish is clearly from the West, then all that
> discussion becomes irrelevant, etc.
>
> Thanks,
> Tom MacMaster






------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
What would our lives be like without music, dance, and theater?
Donate or volunteer in the arts today at Network for Good!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/pkgkPB/SOnJAA/Zx0JAA/wWMplB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->

You are a member of the Gothic-L list.  To unsubscribe, send a blank email to <gothic-l-unsubscribe at egroups.com>.
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gothic-l/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    gothic-l-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/