Newsgroups: sci.lang,sci.lang.translation
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!bb3.andrew.cmu.edu!nntp.sei.cmu.edu!news.cis.ohio-state.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!news.sgi.com!news.cs.indiana.edu!mcmcnews.er.usgs.gov!news.er.usgs.gov!news
From: Peter Bromfield <peter@ren.er.usgs.gov>
Subject: Re: Languages: Hard, Harder, Hardest
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: ren.er.usgs.gov
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Message-ID: <31F8CBBE.446B9B3D@ren.er.usgs.gov>
Sender: news@igsrsparc2.er.usgs.gov (Janet Walz (GD) x6739)
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Organization: U.S. Geological Survey, Reston VA
References: <31E84FDE.44BC@southeast.net>
	 <31e86126.31016134@nntp.ix.netcom.com> <4sgui4$37l@news2.cais.com>
	 <4sl21e$h1c@netnews.hinet.net> <C+zKeBAun$9xEwGC@kindness.demon.co.uk>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Date: Fri, 26 Jul 1996 13:44:30 GMT
X-Mailer: Mozilla 2.01 (X11; I; SunOS 4.1.3 sun4c)
Lines: 29
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu sci.lang:58344 sci.lang.translation:8008

Colin Fine wrote:
>
> I don't believe the last claim. I am certain that Arabic is easier for
> speakers of Hebrew or even of Amharic than (say) Hungarian or Navajo.

Languages are very whimsical, it might seem like a Hebrew could learn to
speak Arabic quicker than some 'more distant languages'. For native
Hebrew speackers the Arabic Haa' is very difficult. Hebrews have a
tendancy to make Haa' sound like khaa' and it can lead to embarassing
translations. Interesting to note, English speakers who are trained can
articulate the Arabic Haa' better than Hebrews because english doesn't
have khaa sounds.

-Peter 

> 
> In fact I would be prepared to deny that claim for any language which
> has living congeners (close enough that their cognacy is obvious).
> 
> I admit that it is possible that such a claim could be upheld for
> isolates such as Basque or Nivkh; but I am still dubious that there is a
> definable metric which would make the claim meaningful.
> 
> --
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> |  Colin Fine    66 High Ash, Shipley, W Yorks. BD18 1NE, UK          |
> |     Tel: 01274 592696      e-mail:  colin@kindness.demon.co.uk      |
> |      "Losing is a state of mind, not a fact of life." -K.B.Brown    |
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
