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Re: English Changes or what into Conlangs

From:Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>
Date:Saturday, December 4, 1999, 0:45
abrigon wrote:
> Why did > we get stuck with -es and -s, I think it may have alot to do with those > who wrote dictionaries back in the 16th Century, who wanted a lingo to > be more Latin/French looking.
No, what happened was in some places in England the -es forms became most common, and -en plurals turned into -es (with a few exceptions), while in others the -en forms won out. The London dialect happened to be a -es dialect. If the capital had been in another place, we'd probably wear shoen and live in housen. Also, I wonder, if it first happened in Northern England - did Old Norse have a preferences for /s/ in plurals? I wonder if it might've been a Norse influence that traveled southward, like the verbal -s? -- "Old linguists never die - they just come to voiceless stops." - anonymous http://members.tripod.com/~Nik_Taylor/Conlang/W.html http://members.tripod.com/~Nik_Taylor/Books.html ICQ: 18656696 AIM Screen-Name: NikTailor