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Re: Slezan

From:Tristan McLeay <zsau@...>
Date:Wednesday, January 28, 2004, 12:59
On Mon, 26 Jan 2004, Costentin Cornomorus wrote:

> --- Joe <joe@...> wrote: > > > Yes, but by then it was far enough to be called > > a seperate Language. > > Calling French 'Vulgar Latin' is like calling > > Scots 'Old English'. > > I guess that depends on what you take to be "far > enough"! I mean, when are we going to realise > that none of can read Beowulf without lots of > study? When do WE get a new name for our > language? We haven't had a change since Primitive > West Germanic became Anglian (>English)!
Anglian didn't become English. -an to -sh is a sound change so bizarre I don't think even I would try it! :) And anyway, we *do* have a different name. Beowulf was written in 'Old English'. The 'Old' isn't just a modifier, it's a part of the name. Sure, 'English' is ambiguous between 'the family of languages descended from Old English, possibly excluding Scots/Shetlandic etc.' and 'PDE', but that doesn't mean we propose that Beowulf is written in the same language as it is we speak today. (And for that matter, it has changed: It used to be 'englisc', then it became 'english', now it's 'English' :P) -- Tristan Jak furf an Mjark in Føtisk. --mif

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Costentin Cornomorus <elemtilas@...>