Up the Tree (8/8/2006)

Tom Mazanec · Post by **Tom Mazanec** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 10:37 am

About time...I believe the Racconnans have isolated themselves for around six centuries. This might make mutual comprehension difficult but possible, like a strange dialect. English changed unusually quickly about eight or nine centuries ago, as a result of the Norman Conquest, among other things (a sound change messing up declensions and conjugations, forcing it to a more analytic style of grammar, for example). But some languages, for various reasons, remain intelligible for that long...Greek, Arabic and Icelandic, for example.

EdBecerra · Post by **EdBecerra** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 12:16 pm

Tom Mazanec wrote:About time...I believe the Racconnans have isolated themselves for around six centuries. This might make mutual comprehension difficult but possible, like a strange dialect. English changed unusually quickly about eight or nine centuries ago, as a result of the Norman Conquest, among other things (a sound change messing up declensions and conjugations, forcing it to a more analytic style of grammar, for example). But some languages, for various reasons, remain intelligible for that long...Greek, Arabic and Icelandic, for example.

This was something my mother loved to study, and the usual example she'd hand to curious people was that if the average American tries to read the Canterbury Tales in their original 'English', it's gibberish to them.

Whereas the average Hispanic person tries to read the Tales of El Cid (just as old, more or less), it's easily understood, with only a few historical terms that have fallen out of use or changed their meaning.

Fascinating..

BrockthePaine · Post by **BrockthePaine** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 1:21 pm

Well, English is a dynamic language. It doesn't just stalk new vocabulary, it chases it down a back alley and beats it up for its lunch money.

Tom Mazanec · Post by **Tom Mazanec** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:14 pm

I tried reading Chaucer in the original for a high school assignment. I quickly threw in the towel and got a translation.

Rokas · Post by **Rokas** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:22 pm

English is also a highly adaptive language. Word arrangement can be varied to present different views of a situation, new words can and are assimilated from other languages, (faux pas, touché, tsunami, etc.), and other words are just made up or adapted from old ones. (Laser, Television, microchip).

Heck, just listen to different dialects and regional culturalisms. I worked at Disney for a bit, and whenever a Scottish person came by, his accent would make me go, "what did he just say?" Or English people would say funny things, like "cheers." Not that I'm mocking, or anything, just observing. But it shows that English is highly adaptive and can take on many forms.

Frankly, I love it.

After studying Spanish, I must say that I really, really appreciate English.

As for Quentyn, well, if the common tongue isn't like English and terribly adaptive, then it wn't change much, now will it? Most espcially if the world is in a stangnant phase, such as a medieval dark age where intercommunication between far flung enclaves and a general lack of technological progress in most areas (technology always advances during a dark age, just that it's usually restricted to a certain aspect). A lack of innovation and change means a lack of alteration to a language.

Ahh, well, we shall see, now won't we?

Nikas_Zekeval · Post by **Nikas_Zekeval** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:53 pm

Hmm, it goes the other way too Rokas. My dad used to travel on business for The General (Motors) and one time he was part of a group of engineers who went to Germany. They were met by a guide/translator. Her english was British english (no big surprise) but as she informed the group she had no problems with American english, but she couldn't understand Texan.

Kerry Skydancer · Post by **Kerry Skydancer** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 9:09 pm

Tom Mazanec wrote:About time...I believe the Racconnans have isolated themselves for around six centuries. This might make mutual comprehension difficult but possible, like a strange dialect. English changed unusually quickly about eight or nine centuries ago, as a result of the Norman Conquest, among other things (a sound change messing up declensions and conjugations, forcing it to a more analytic style of grammar, for example). But some languages, for various reasons, remain intelligible for that long...Greek, Arabic and Icelandic, for example.

Nope, hasn't been six centuries of isolation. Remember, Quentyn I went out to retrieve the artifacts accidentally sold off in the frenzy of trading when they -did- seal themselves off. Before that, even from behind the Mistwall, there -were- dealings. Linguistic isolation didn't set in until then - almost in living memory.

TMLutas · Post by **TMLutas** » Mon Aug 14, 2006 4:03 pm

Kerry Skydancer wrote:
Tom Mazanec wrote:About time...I believe the Racconnans have isolated themselves for around six centuries. This might make mutual comprehension difficult but possible, like a strange dialect. English changed unusually quickly about eight or nine centuries ago, as a result of the Norman Conquest, among other things (a sound change messing up declensions and conjugations, forcing it to a more analytic style of grammar, for example). But some languages, for various reasons, remain intelligible for that long...Greek, Arabic and Icelandic, for example.
Nope, hasn't been six centuries of isolation. Remember, Quentyn I went out to retrieve the artifacts accidentally sold off in the frenzy of trading when they -did- seal themselves off. Before that, even from behind the Mistwall, there -were- dealings. Linguistic isolation didn't set in until then - almost in living memory.

Actually since eldest remembers Quentyn I going out on that quest it *is* within living memory, if only barely.