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From: deb5@kimbark.uchicago.edu (Daniel von Brighoff)
Subject: Re: The whole language tree thing.
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References: <DEIxrB.8J0@crash.cts.com> <rte-1309951128540001@mac-118.lz.att.com> <AC7F8160966813EC4@yarn.demon.co.uk> <rte-1909951157560001@mac-118.lz.att.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 14:08:37 GMT
Lines: 33

In article <rte-1909951157560001@mac-118.lz.att.com>,
Ralph T. Edwards <rte@elmo.lz.att.com> wrote:
>In article <AC7F8160966813EC4@yarn.demon.co.uk>, taka@yarn.demon.co.uk
>(Paul Talacko) wrote:

>> English is only unambiguously Germanic if you regard it through the current
>> most popular model.
>
>Nope.  Has nothing to do with model.  Has to do with what words are
>essential to 
>English.
>
>I can make a good English sentence with only Germanic words.
>I can't do the same with only words of Romance origin.
>
>Have you been reading the posts?
>Also you left out the important second half of the above sentence "with heavy
>French, Latin and Greek borrowings."  Some of these borrowings can also be 
>found in the other Germanic languages (but not nearly as many).

I'm not so sure about that.  Take a look at this L"etzebuergesch sentence:

	Mir hun apreesiabel Efforen ze machen, mir hun ganz vill Aarbecht 
	en perspective, a sin dob"ai ganz op eis eege Resurssen a Moyens'en 
	ugewisen..

Not much poorer in Romance borrowings than its English equivalent.
Is it still Germanic, Mr. Talacko?

-- 
	 Daniel "Da" von Brighoff    /\          Dilettanten
	(deb5@midway.uchicago.edu)  /__\         erhebt Euch
				   /____\      gegen die Kunst!
