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From: elfu485@srv0.law (Andrew Akleman)
Subject: Re: Scots and English (was: Re: Flemish and Dutch)
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Message-ID: <D8MICD.A1v@festival.ed.ac.uk>
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Organization: University of Edinburgh
Date: Mon, 15 May 1995 19:15:08 GMT
Lines: 51

In article <3p4rsn$i5j@bertha.gssec.bt.co.uk>,
   cwilson@gssec.bt.co.uk (Colin Wilson) wrote:
>In article <3ovtk0$stm@pheidippides.axion.bt.co.uk>, Alwyn Thomas
> <thomasda@forum.agw.bt.co.uk> writes:
>
>|> I thought "Britannic" (or Brythonic) was the ancestor of Welsh and 
>|> Cornish - Celtic languages, not Germanic ones.
>|> 
>|> Alwyn
>
>"Britannic" and "Brythonic" are different words with different 
connotations.
>
>According to the Concise OED, "Brythonic" means "of the Celts of southern 
>Britain".
>
>On the other hand, "Britannic" means simply "of Britain".
>
>It seems to me to be an appropriate term to describe the linguistic
>varieties that have evolved to their respective modern forms on the island
>of Britain: that is, Scots and English.

Hmm - my tuppence:

I don't think that Britannic is a very fair name to describe the two 
Germanic languages of Scots and English... Because the original "British" 
were Celtic-speakers - Welsh to be more precise!
(and Picts, of course, but "British" and "Briton" were used for the 
Welsh...) I think using "Britannic" to mean Scots and English would alienate 
the Welsh and Cornish from the concept of Britishness -i.e. being of this 
island... It shouldn't be a name monopolised by any of the ethnic groups on 
this island.
British-Germanic maybe... 
I dunno!

Why not just say "Scots and English" ?

O well... 
No flames intended anywhere...

Andrew/Anndra


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