|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 37
newbie
|
newbie
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 37 |
"An English-speaking learner of German will notice how many English words seem to come from German: water/Wasser, bread/Brot, house/Haus."
This is a bit misleading. The words aren't similar because the English words come from German, but because both English and German have a common ancestor.
Last edited by gooofy; 12/15/12 12:45 AM.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554
veteran
|
|
veteran
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554 |
Sorry about your cold/flu, zmjezhd, I hope you are now fully recovered. Yes, I bet "a tree" and "lotsa trees" are different constructions in lotsa different languages with "tree" being specific and the "yantaq" denoting trees as we use "forest" but not exactly. Yes, zmjezhd, you and me are singing the same song we just use widely different notes. 
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554
veteran
|
|
veteran
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 1,554 |
"An English-speaking learner of German will notice how many English words seem to come from German: water/Wasser, bread/Brot, house/Haus."
This is a bit misleading. The words aren't similar because the English words come from German, but because both English and German have a common ancestor. The salient point, gooofy. Why do I feel uncomfortable calling you "gooofy"?
Last edited by jenny jenny; 12/17/12 07:00 PM. Reason: To respell gooofy's name
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,075
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,075 |
"An English-speaking learner of German will notice how many English words seem to come from German: water/Wasser, bread/Brot, house/Haus."
This is a bit misleading. The words aren't similar because the English words come from German, but because both English and German have a common ancestor. And to add to your evidence, in Norske/Danske the equivalent words are: vatter; brod; hus.
I'm immortal until proven otherwise
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,290 |
Let's see. English peasants after the Norman Invasion dropped Old English and started chatting in Old Norwegian, but being peasants and not being able to afford Rosetta, they didn't pick it up properly, but added a bunch of Old English-derived vocabulary because it was sitting around unused in a trunk. Leave those peasants alone with their badly spoken Old Norwegian and viola, Middle English. Sure, OK: makes as much sense as the that-which-restrictive-non-restrictive-clause rule.
Ceci n'est pas un seing.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 37
newbie
|
|
newbie
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 37 |
Let's see. English peasants after the Norman Invasion dropped Old English That's another thing. If modern English is a North Germanic language, then what happened to Old English?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 5,295 |
Why not add Swedish too, it's all in the same paddling pool.
E.water bread house
Da. vatter brod hus
Ge. Wasser Brot Haus
Du. water brood huis
Swe. vatten bröd hus
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,075
old hand
|
|
old hand
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 1,075 |
Only reason I left swedish out was Jo tal ig Svenske
I'm immortal until proven otherwise
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,809
Members9,187
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
403
guests, and
0
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
