Comments on: All About English http://www.raggedclown.com/2008/01/07/all-about-english/ It's just a shadow you're seeing that he's chasing... Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:16:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Kevin http://www.raggedclown.com/2008/01/07/all-about-english/#comment-6132 Kevin Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:09:18 +0000 http://www.raggedclown.com/?p=474#comment-6132 On 1), if it's just latin itself, the latin verbs are very regular apart from the usual weird ones (to go, to be, to have and the like). If it's romance languages in general...French has a lot less irregular verbs than English. Can't speak for Spanish, Portuguese, Italian or Romanian. Any readers speak any of those languages? On 2), Bob and I found a <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etymology#English_etymology' rel="nofollow">quote in Wikipedia</a> that lets us both be right: "Though more than half of the words in English either come from the French language or have a French cognate, most of the common words used are still of Germanic origin." This was cool: "English words of more than two syllables are likely to come from French, often with modified terminations. For example, the French words for syllable, modified, terminations and example are syllabe, modifié, terminaisons and exemple." On 1), if it’s just latin itself, the latin verbs are very regular apart from the usual weird ones (to go, to be, to have and the like). If it’s romance languages in general…French has a lot less irregular verbs than English. Can’t speak for Spanish, Portuguese, Italian or Romanian. Any readers speak any of those languages?

On 2), Bob and I found a quote in Wikipedia that lets us both be right:

“Though more than half of the words in English either come from the French language or have a French cognate, most of the common words used are still of Germanic origin.”

This was cool:

“English words of more than two syllables are likely to come from French, often with modified terminations. For example, the French words for syllable, modified, terminations and example are syllabe, modifié, terminaisons and exemple.”

]]> By: Bob http://www.raggedclown.com/2008/01/07/all-about-english/#comment-6131 Bob Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:53:49 +0000 http://www.raggedclown.com/?p=474#comment-6131 I didn't say typical languages -- I said latin languages. I did however previously hold that it was predominantly influenced by Latin and Greek. More enlightened, I no longer hold that belief. I have added strength to my belief that my middle school education was not as good as I would have liked. I didn’t say typical languages — I said latin languages.
I did however previously hold that it was predominantly influenced by Latin and Greek. More enlightened, I no longer hold that belief. I have added strength to my belief that my middle school education was not as good as I would have liked.

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