Re: French and German (jara: An introduction)

From: "John Cowan" <cowan@...>
Subject: Re: French and German (jara: An introduction)


> Christian Thalmann scripsit:
>
> > Also, "some" doesn't feel like a good translation of "manch".
> > I'd render "manch ein schneller Hund" as "many a quick dog".
> > (That works in English, doesn't it?)
>
> It's poetic/archaic, so yes, it is a good translation from your
> viewpoint.  If other people use the form actively, then a
> translation along the lines of "many quick dogs" would be more
> suitably prosaic.
Its poeticness/archaicness varies, apparently.  The phrase "many a dog"
sounds just fine to me for use in normal speech, and I would use it
differently than "many dogs".