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
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