LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.13 (07) [E]

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From: Gavin Falconer <Gavin.Falconer at gmx.net>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.13 (03) [E]

Críostóir said:

"Mark, I think Brussels / EU English is considered perplexing because it is
notoriously bureaucratic and convoluted, rather than a separate, new
variety. There may be some influence from substrates (particularly French, I
would imagine), but that would only apply to informal internal e-mails and
memos, not to official documents."

I think that some lexical choices are influenced by French substrates, even
in official terminology, examples being _subsidiarity_ and _patrimony_, the
latter often being used in reference to linguistic heritage.  There are also
out-and-out loan words such as _communautaire_.  It would be easy enough to
conduct a study comparing the proportion of Latinate vocabulary in EU
documents with that in home-grown British or Irish legislation.  I suspect
it would be greater.

--
Best,

Gavin

Gavin Falconer

"Tharfor wordly happe es ay in dout
Whilles dam fortune turnes hir whele about."

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From: Marsha Alley <marshaalley at msn.com>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.13 (03) [E]


I have to agree.  I have an internet buddy in England.  We've been
corresponding for five years and have never had any difficulty understanding
what the other is getting at, even though we speak quite informally, using
local idioms and dialects, and of course the ever-present clichés.  I also
have correspondents in Israel who are primarily Hebrew speaking, understand
English as it's spoken to them, but sometimes make charming syntax errors
when answering.  U.S. pop culture has spread so far and wide, about which I
have some regrets.  On the other hand, within the U.S. there are regions of
outback places like very rural Georgia where accents are so thick many
who've not been exposed to "southern" talk, have a hard time understanding.
But the Internet, English-language newspapers and magazines, radio and
television pretty much make all of it intelligible to everyone who's learned
even elemental English.

Marsha's two-cents

----- Original Message -----

From: Ian Pollock <ispollock at shaw.ca>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2005.04.11 (09) [E]

 But as I say, given how interconnected English speakers are now, it seems
unlikely to me.

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