Re: OT: semi-OT: bilingual communication

Andreas Johansson scripsit:

> That makes one wonder if Chechen and Ingush are really to be considered
> different languages.
This question can always be raised and is not susceptible of a definite
answer.  It has often been pointed out that there is a dialect continuum
that extends from Paris to Rome, but nobody doubts that French and Italian
are different languages.  An Italian farmer near the border may be able
to speak to his French neighbor in dialect, but can he write him a letter?
Probably not.

In fact, the mutual intelligibility between Spanish and Italian is much
better in general, despite there being no dialect continuum.  In my
neighborhood there are many Hispano-Italian marriages of this type,
where each spouse speaks his or her own language.

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