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Re: One language or two?

From:Costentin Cornomorus <elemtilas@...>
Date:Friday, September 5, 2003, 4:04
--- Isidora Zamora <isidora@...> wrote:

> My question is this: considering the time scale > involved, do these people speak one language > or two?
I would guess two: an everyday language / dialect continuum; an elevated language. If everyone partakes in this shared oral tradition (like, if èveryone tells stories in it), it will probably be a source of borrowings and may well be subject to some linguistic change. That is, it may be pronounced much like the common language. On the other hand, it could just as easily become the intellectual property of the priests who chant secret rites and scriptures in it away from everyone else. It might become so fossilised and inaccessible, even the priests will forget what it means, until some philologist comes along and realises that the two seem related. Padraic. ===== Samlan, isa-susansilo-war-mercumo crastandus, en! mercumes-don-crâgamando, en! mercumes-dom-resmanstaro haccruçen-fon-Mursilbâm! And now, the corpse lies limp, lo! even the body of strength, lo! even the body of Mursilbâm that slew the monster! [Erronian fragment] -- Come visit The World! -- <http://www.geocities.com/hawessos/> .

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Isidora Zamora <isidora@...>