Re: Umlauts (was Re: Elves and Ill Bethisad)

On Friday, October 24, 2003, at 09:27  PM, Costentin Cornomorus wrote:
>
> I see it like this: English borrowed numerous
> terms from French. That done, they become our
> words. Those words are now as English as
> ketchup/catsup, taco or chipmunk.
> Also, we could easily take using these words
> properly to an extreme. From now on, I will
> expect thee to conjugate/decline all your Greek
> borrowings in Koine, your Latinate words in
> Latin, your Celtic roots in Gaulish (or Gaelic),
> Spanish in Spanish, French in French, Oriental
> and American words in their native forms. You'll
> be expected to use the appropriate alphabets,
> ideogrpahs, pronunciations, etc. Sound good?
> Sound at all likely? Sound at all like what
> English has ever done to the words it borrows?
> Of cousre not! It's a ridiculous idea; but only a
> little more ridiculous than keeping the accent
> marks that are meaningless in English, though
> they may be useful in French.
> Padraic.
As once quoted by someone else on this list (or maybe another con-)

"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore.  We don't just borrow
words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways
to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
- James D. Nicoll


-Stephen (Steg)
   "hey hey!  ho ho!  this orange peel has got to go!"
      ~ sbc

Reply