Roots of English (Was: Intro and other)

Changing the subject to keep things on track.

>From: Elliott Lash <AL260@...>
> > > > > As for Gaelic being related to English... interesting. I've never
> > > noticed the similarity. It would make sense, though; the origins of
> > > English should be related to Cornish, Kentish, Welsh, Manx, Scotch,
> > > Irish and other languages of the British Isles. The question is,
> > > where does Frisian fit in?
>
>
>Someone does not understand the inner-workings of the language of the
>British Isles!!
(Excellent information snipped so as not to be redundant)

<pouts and looks shamefaced>

Nice way you have of educating me, using *two* exclamation points :-(

Seriously, I did not know just how English was related to the other
languages in the region; all the books I've read started with the Roman
Occupation and went from there to the northmen and Norman invasions with
little to no information on the root language (except to mention such
curiosities as having a peasant word (Older English) for something as it is
and an aristocratic word (Norman) for using/eating that thing, thus
pig/pork, flax/linen, etc.)

All a fascinating history, but not complete. How did Frisian, natively
spoken (if memory serves) in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, come
to England, and how did it surplant the native Celtic languages? If it was
an ancient language on the island (I seem to remember reading about a
Kentish tongue), at what point did it supplant the older languages?

Any recommendations on books that would have such linguistic history?

Gregory Gadow


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