Newsgroups: sci.lang
From: andre@shappski.demon.co.uk (Andre Shapps)
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!news2.near.net!news.mathworks.com!zombie.ncsc.mil!news.duke.edu!convex!cs.utexas.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!peernews.demon.co.uk!shappski.demon.co.uk!andre
Subject: Re: Language non-continua
References: <3icld1$166@Trex.IenD.wau.nl>
Organization: The Soundfile
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Date: Tue, 21 Feb 1995 23:40:40 +0000
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In article: <3icld1$166@Trex.IenD.wau.nl>  mscgis13@rcl.wau.nl writes:
> 
>  kakoo@eden.rutgers.edu (Kane Koo) wrote:
> 
> >We've talked a lot about language and dialect recently, often citing the 
> >Dutch/German or French/Italian dialect continua that exist. In both cases,
> >the two languages in the continuum were "in the same family". But what 
> >generally happens when two UNRELATED languages border each other? 
> >For example, does the French in Alsace-Lorraine (on border with Germany) take
> >on a Germanic character, and vice-versa?  I know that in Chinese-American 
> >communities, hybrids (pidgin?) of English and Chinese develop, but generally
> >last only one or at most two generations. I would think that in border areas
> >some cross-borrowing must take place, but I am curious to what extent.
> >
> >Kane
> 
> Although I don't know about alsacian dialects, I know that for example the 
> language spoken in Luxemburg (so-called Letzeb"urgesch(not sure about this 
> spelling)) is a german dialect, but it has incorporated a lot of french words, 
> and it has a french-like quality about it (when you hear it, you're not 
> directly sure that you're listening to a germanic language.
> 
> Hope this is of some use,
> 
> Jan-Willem
> 
> 
> 
> 
I saw an item on TV about Alsace a few months ago. They literally speak a mixture 
of French and German. I don't know which provides what gramma. It seemed
fairly formalised to the extent that public signs were written in that hybrid, 
rather than being bilingual. A German friend of mine told me that his mother, 
who was from that region, would say things like "die Chaise", even when 
talking to other Germans. They also apparently have a distinct culture of 
which they appeared very proud. Perhaps someone from the region could better
enlighten us. I don't know what happens near the edges of the region. Anyone like to
guess what the effect of bringing down the borders is going to be?

Talking of Cino-American hybrids I know of people from the west of the Ukraine 
who mix in German with a hybrid of Ukrainian and Russian. It seems to be the 
case that they often use a German verb conjugated as if it were Russian.

Come to that, there's a distinct Anglo-Russian dialect developing here, though 
much of this consists of added "ski" to English four letter words to make them
sound like Russian adjectives.
-- 
Andre Shapps

