Re: [OT]Where are you from? (visit everyone, please!)
Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 3:25 pm
I'm from Bytom, Poland.
And on the language related topic:
>>>>English are derived from French
>>Actually, that's not quite correct. French is derived from Latin, while English was just greatly influenced by Latin. That's why English grammar is still quite different to French one.
Hacki, I'm not a historian (so correct me if I'm wrong) but aren't you skipping battle of Hastings in 1066 and its influence on English language here? Remember that Skutarth mentioned vocabulary, not grammar. As far I know, after 1066 the original English (its "fully Germanic form") was replaced by French among the aristocracy, while the was still spoken by the rest of the population.
As a result we have "arrive" and "come" meaning almost the same, but with "arrive" (French: arriver) being the more elegant one. In fact, Old English (the one spoken in the Middle Ages) is really similar to German.
I've one read an article that stated that more-less 60% of English words is of French origin. I may look for it if you want a proof
And on the language related topic:
>>>>English are derived from French
>>Actually, that's not quite correct. French is derived from Latin, while English was just greatly influenced by Latin. That's why English grammar is still quite different to French one.
Hacki, I'm not a historian (so correct me if I'm wrong) but aren't you skipping battle of Hastings in 1066 and its influence on English language here? Remember that Skutarth mentioned vocabulary, not grammar. As far I know, after 1066 the original English (its "fully Germanic form") was replaced by French among the aristocracy, while the was still spoken by the rest of the population.
As a result we have "arrive" and "come" meaning almost the same, but with "arrive" (French: arriver) being the more elegant one. In fact, Old English (the one spoken in the Middle Ages) is really similar to German.
I've one read an article that stated that more-less 60% of English words is of French origin. I may look for it if you want a proof