LL-L "Grammar" 2010.10.18 (03) [EN]

[Lowlands-L List]

=====================================================
L O W L A N D S - L - 18 October 2010 - Volume 03
lowlands.list at gmail.com - http://lowlands-l.net/
Posting: lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org
Archive: http://listserv.linguistlist.org/archives/lowlands-l.html
Encoding: Unicode (UTF-08)
Language Codes: lowlands-l.net/codes.php
=====================================================



From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com

Subject: Grammar



John,

Thanks for asking for feedback on the issue of simplification by
regularizing verb forms as all “weak.”

By the way, I agree with Sandy that the sentence “Thank goodness English is
getting easier!” is rather inappropriate, unless this was not meant to be a
scholarly article.

Also, “gotten” is the participial form in American English as well.

The sort of simplification talked about in the article is of course close to
complete in Afrikaans.

In addition, Afrikaans is one of the newer Germanic language varieties that
simplified by means of abandoning a special form for the preterit; e.g.,

English:
write: I wrote a letter. - I have written a letter.
sing: She sang a song. - She has sung a song.
find: We found the cat. - We have found the cat.

Low Saxon:
schrieven: Ik schrev’ ’n Breef. - Ik heff ’n Breef schräven.
singen: Se süng ’n Leed. - Se hett ’n Leed sungen.
finnen: Wi fünnen de Katt. - Wi hebbt de Katt funnen.

Dutch:
schrijven: Ik schreef een brief. - Ik heb een brief geschreven.
zingen: Ze zong een lied. - Ze heeft een lied gezongen.
vinden: We vonden de kat. - We hebben de kat gevonden.

Standard German:
schreiben: Ich schrieb einen Brief. - Ich habe einen Brief geschrieben.
singen: Sie sang ein Lied. - Sie hat ein Lied gesungen.
finden: Wir fanden die Katze. - Wir haben die Katze gefunden.

Simplified systems:

Missingsch (German on Low Saxon substrata, Hamburg dialect):
schreiben: Ich hap ’n Brief geschrieben.
singen: Sie hat ’n Lied gesungen.
finnen: Wir ham die Katze gefunnen.

Yiddish:
shraybn: Ikh hob geshribn a briv. (.שרייַבן: איך האָב געשריבן אַ בריוו)
zingen: Zi hot gezungen a lid. (.זינגען: זי האט געזונגען אַ ליד)
gefinen: Mit hobn gefunen di kats. (.געפֿינען: מיר האָבן געפֿונען די קאַץ)

Afrikaans (with both sorts of simplification):
skryf: Ek het 'n brief geskryf.
sing: Sy het ’n lied gesing.
vind: Ons het die kat gevind.

Corrections and comments welcome.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA



=========================================================
Send posting submissions to lowlands-l at listserv.linguistlist.org.
Please display only the relevant parts of quotes in your replies.
Send commands (including "signoff lowlands-l") to
listserv at listserv.linguistlist.org or lowlands.list at gmail.com
http://linguistlist.org/subscribing/sub-lowlands-l.html.
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/group.php?gid=118916521473498<http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#%21/group.php?gid=118916521473498>
=========================================================
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lowlands-l/attachments/20101018/a9bcb037/attachment.htm>