01-26-2009, 03:48 AM | #16 |
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I think personally that any language which needs to be "protected" by the government has a problem. One of the strengths of English (and the same is true of German, too) has been its willingness to freely "absorb" words from other languages in circumstances where new words are required. Trying to legally ban people from using words like "le weekend" is an exercise that's doomed to failure.
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01-26-2009, 06:07 AM | #17 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Which reminds me, trying to undermine the amorphous, absorbent language called "English"...I'm thinking of a Pratchett quote...ahh, here it is: "No enemies had ever taken Ankh-Morpock. Well *technically* they had, quite often; the city welcomed free-spending barbarian invaders, but somehow the puzzled raiders found, after a few days, that they didn't own their horses any more, and within a couple of months they were just another minority group with its own graffiti and food shops." Cheers, Marc |
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01-26-2009, 06:43 AM | #18 | |
Final Five n°42
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To me, this speaks more of a latin origin, and so of the english nicking the word from either latin, french or italian. I'd say they took it from the french based on the so friendly common history. After all, insults are one of the first things one learns in a foreign language, especially your ennemy's. |
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01-26-2009, 06:46 AM | #19 | |
Liseuse Lover
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01-26-2009, 07:19 AM | #20 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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How about the spelling??? If the académie want to take over English, they'd better learn phonetic spelling..... |
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01-26-2009, 07:19 AM | #21 |
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It appears that the origin is disputed. The Online Etymology Dictionary says:
bastard 1223, "illegitimate child," from O.Fr., "child of a nobleman by a woman other than his wife," probably from fils de bast "packsaddle son," meaning a child conceived on an improvised bed (saddles often doubled as beds while traveling), with pejorative ending -art. Alternate possibly is that the word is from P.Gmc. *banstiz "barn," equally suggestive of low origin. Not always regarded as a stigma; the Conqueror is referred to in state documents as "William the Bastard." Figurative sense is from 1552; use as a vulgar term of abuse for a man is attested from 1830. Bastardize "debase" is from 1587. |
01-26-2009, 07:34 AM | #22 |
Dry fruit
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01-26-2009, 08:47 AM | #23 |
Final Five n°42
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01-26-2009, 09:00 AM | #24 | |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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01-26-2009, 09:09 AM | #25 |
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Miles Kington invented Franglais for us Brits who are (through no fault of our own) incapable of learning to speak foreign.
It's a melange (dunno the French for that ) - of English and French. Like a phrase book, each of his "lessons" covered a particular situation: A man is accused of driving his car "avec toute la finesse d'un Rangers fan" A door-to-door seller assures his customers "je ne suis pas un nutter religieux" Another useful phrase is 'OK, OK je ne suis pas deaf .' |
01-26-2009, 09:12 AM | #26 |
zeldinha zippy zeldissima
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01-26-2009, 09:13 AM | #27 | |
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Long time ago, when I played a computer game, part of which was based on Middle Earth, there was a guild of Morgul Mages and they used to talk to their apprentices and to outsiders like that. I remember it gave me quite a headache but lately, I was converted and used to like it |
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01-26-2009, 09:14 AM | #28 | |
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
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01-26-2009, 10:09 AM | #29 | |
Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah!
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The English language has never been conquered. Well,, that's not exactly true. English has always welcomed new commerce and opens its gate wide to conquering phonemes. They just march right in and take ove, only to find in a few weeks that they have become yet another fthnic group with its own grafitti and no longer own their own horses. |
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01-26-2009, 10:11 AM | #30 | |
Beepbeep n beebeep, yeah!
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