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"Dutch English"; language death on Phalera [was Re: Active and Passive please help]

From:Thomas R. Wier <trwier@...>
Date:Tuesday, December 18, 2001, 13:26
Quoting Almaran Dungeonmaster <dungeonmaster@...>:

> Padraic Brown wrote: > > > It might be a little hard, since "to be called" in the current > > > meaning is inherently passive in English. > > > However, other languages have an active verb for naming things. > > > > Hunh? What's wrong with "I called it X" in your dialect? > > Well, my dialect is nether-english (which is the english spoken by > people whose first language is Dutch). But you're right of course, > "to call" in the meaning of "to name" is also possible in the active > voice in english.
Which brings up an interesting question: how many people from the Netherlands speak English in their daily life? IIRC, something like 80% of people there can speak *some*, at least. ObConlang/ConCulture: In Phalera, Standard Phaleran (_Deuphalis_, "High Phaleran") is slowly ousting most of the languages on the planet. There are several reasons for this. First, the government of Twolyeo has a habit of deporting entire populations that do not readily submit to its rule, and this generally leads to the breakdown of social customs of all kinds, including language. It is, moreover, almost impossible to advance socially unless you speak the Standard like a native. People who manage this are called _pheltoutrana_ "ones who speak the beautiful tongue". (Typically advancement is in fact impossible for the vast majority of the population, but sometimes native elites of lands whose countries have been conquered by Twolyeo see where the wind is blowing and get their children educated in or around Twolyeo.) ===================================================================== Thomas Wier <trwier@...> <http://home.uchicago.edu/~trwier> "...koruphàs hetéras hetére:isi prosápto:n / Dept. of Linguistics mú:tho:n mè: teléein atrapòn mían..." University of Chicago "To join together diverse peaks of thought / 1010 E. 59th Street and not complete one road that has no turn" Chicago, IL 60637 Empedocles, _On Nature_, on speculative thinkers

Replies

Almaran Dungeonmaster <dungeonmaster@...>
Anton Sherwood <bronto@...>"Dutch English"; language death on Phalera [was Re: Active andPassive please help]
Irina Rempt <irina@...>