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From: japixley@netcom.com (Jonathan Pixley)
Subject: English alphabet history?
Message-ID: <japixleyCxypzo.GA7@netcom.com>
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Date: Thu, 20 Oct 1994 08:23:48 GMT
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I'm no quite sure how best to ask this question, not being a linguist, so 
lease bear with me.

I know that English came from Old High German and we still have words 
that are Germanic in origin (e.g. help).  After the Norman Conquest, many 
French words (Gaulic?) crept into the language (e.g. aid).  Assuming my 
information and memory are both correct, I am led to a couple of 
questions.  Between German and French influences, which is the predominant 
today.

Now for my real question.  In the German alphabet, there is the umlaut.  
The French have a cedilla, accent grave, accent aigu and the vowels with 
the funny hat that I can't remember what are called.  Just going from 
this I'd guess we got our alphabet from the Germans after they had been 
Romanticized and not from the French.  Is this the case?  Why or why not?

Thanks for your time,

Jon Pixley
-- 
japixley@netcom.com             Reunite Gondwanaland; stop plate tectonics!
