▲ 231 ▼ What's an interesting etymology for a common term? (feddit.uk) submitted 3 months ago by Iconoclast@feddit.uk to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world 213 comments fedilink hide all child comments
[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 3 points 3 months ago (1 child) I just want to add that a great much of English is German and French. For example "question" is Germanic rooted while "interrogate" is French. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] nightlily@leminal.space 9 points 3 months ago (1 child) If I were to be pedantic, I don’t know if it’s correct to say that much of English is German as such. Modern standard German/Hochdeutsch and English have a common ancestor but that split was a very long time ago now. You could say that the grammar is better preserved in German but you could say the same about Dutch, or English‘s closest living sibling - Frisian. „German“ has gone through a great many changes from Proto-Germanic, and still, there’s a mess of different dialects/languages from different family branches in one modern state. There’s probably a similar argument about the French influence (Norman wasn’t French per se but a closely related Romance language) but I don’t know enough about that. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 4 points 3 months ago Not pedantic as much as informing! Thanks homie. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] nightlily@leminal.space 9 points 3 months ago (1 child) If I were to be pedantic, I don’t know if it’s correct to say that much of English is German as such. Modern standard German/Hochdeutsch and English have a common ancestor but that split was a very long time ago now. You could say that the grammar is better preserved in German but you could say the same about Dutch, or English‘s closest living sibling - Frisian. „German“ has gone through a great many changes from Proto-Germanic, and still, there’s a mess of different dialects/languages from different family branches in one modern state. There’s probably a similar argument about the French influence (Norman wasn’t French per se but a closely related Romance language) but I don’t know enough about that. permalink fedilink source parent hideshow 2 child comments replies: [–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 4 points 3 months ago Not pedantic as much as informing! Thanks homie. permalink fedilink source parent
[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 4 points 3 months ago Not pedantic as much as informing! Thanks homie. permalink fedilink source parent