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iamnotaparakeet
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20 Jun 2010, 4:08 am

TallyMan wrote:

What is the origin of French? Does that come mainly from Latin too? There are lots of similar words in English and French.

Yes, French is also from Latin. Also, there are many words in the English language which are derived from Latin through Norman and Parisian French.

TallyMan
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20 Jun 2010, 4:10 am

I wonder why English is one of the few languages without gender for nouns and adjectives - except for a few things such as animals etc that do have a real physical gender.

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iamnotaparakeet
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20 Jun 2010, 4:17 am

TallyMan wrote:

I wonder why English is one of the few languages without gender for nouns and adjectives - except for a few things such as animals etc that do have a real physical gender.

English did have gender of nouns once, but it was about a thousand years ago and it looked more like German or Icelandic. It was Anglo-Saxon or Old English, here is an example,

Quote:

Hwät! we Gâr-Dena in geâr-dagum
þeód-cyninga þrym gefrunon,
hû þâ äðelingas ellen fremedon.
Oft Scyld Scêfing sceaðena þreátum,
monegum mægðum meodo-setla ofteáh.
Egsode eorl, syððan ærest wearð
feá-sceaft funden: he þäs frôfre gebâd,
weôx under wolcnum, weorð-myndum ðâh,
ôð þät him æghwylc þâra ymb-sittendra
ofer hron-râde hýran scolde,
gomban gyldan: þät wäs gôd cyning!
þäm eafera wäs äfter cenned
geong in geardum, þone god sende
folce tô frôfre; fyren-þearfe ongeat,
þät hie ær drugon aldor-leáse
lange hwîle. Him þäs lîf-freá,
wuldres wealdend, worold-âre forgeaf;
Beówulf wäs breme (blæd wîde sprang),
Scyldes eafera Scede-landum in.
Swâ sceal geong guma, gôde gewyrcean,
fromum feoh-giftum on fäder wine,
þät hine on ylde eft gewunigen
wil-gesîðas, þonne wîg cume,
leóde gelæsten: lof-dædum sceal
in mægða gehwære man geþeón.
Him þâ Scyld gewât tô gescäp-hwîle
fela-hrôr fêran on freán wære;
hi hyne þâ ätbæron tô brimes faroðe.
swæse gesîðas, swâ he selfa bäd,
þenden wordum weóld wine Scyldinga,
leóf land-fruma lange âhte.
Þær ät hýðe stôd hringed-stefna,
îsig and ûtfûs, äðelinges fär;
â-lêdon þâ leófne þeóden,
beága bryttan on bearm scipes,
mærne be mäste. Þær wäs mâdma fela,
of feor-wegum frätwa gelæded:
ne hýrde ic cymlîcor ceól gegyrwan
hilde-wæpnum and heaðo-wædum,
billum and byrnum; him on bearme läg
mâdma mänigo, þâ him mid scoldon
on flôdes æht feor gewîtan.
Nalas hi hine lässan lâcum teódan,
þeód-gestreónum, þonne þâ dydon,
þe hine ät frumsceafte forð onsendon
ænne ofer ýðe umbor wesende:
þâ gyt hie him âsetton segen gyldenne
heáh ofer heáfod, lêton holm beran,
geâfon on gâr-secg: him wäs geômor sefa,
murnende môd. Men ne cunnon
secgan tô soðe sele-rædende,
häleð under heofenum, hwâ þäm hläste onfêng.

http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext06/8bwlf10h.htm

TallyMan
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20 Jun 2010, 4:22 am

It is unreadable compared to modern English. So if ancient English did have gender and subsequently English merged with other gender based languages why did gender disappear?

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iamnotaparakeet
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20 Jun 2010, 4:30 am

TallyMan wrote:

8O It is unreadable compared to modern English. So if ancient English did have gender and subsequently English merged with other gender based languages why did gender disappear?

For simplicity of communication between different groups. The simpler a language is, the more readily learned.

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20 Jun 2010, 4:33 am

Gender is a real pain. I can understand why it should be lost. Where there is one word in English there are often 2 for nouns or 4 for adjectives in French, depending on gender and plurality. I learn the new words quite easily but the gender is harder to pick up.

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Tim_Tex
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20 Jun 2010, 8:48 am

I win yet again!

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Booyakasha
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20 Jun 2010, 9:08 am

iamnotaparakeet wrote:

TallyMan wrote:

8O It is unreadable compared to modern English. So if ancient English did have gender and subsequently English merged with other gender based languages why did gender disappear?

For simplicity of communication between different groups. The simpler a language is, the more readily learned.

It was also due to the lost of inflection - Old English was fully inflected with five grammatical cases which had dual plural forms for referring to groups of two objects in addition to the usual singular and plural forms.

Last edited by Booyakasha on 20 Jun 2010, 2:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Tim_Tex
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20 Jun 2010, 9:17 am

Bunnies!! !

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ProfessorX
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20 Jun 2010, 10:40 am

Since Tim likes going around saying bunnies then, I'll say Eagles.. Yes, I win..

TallyMan
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20 Jun 2010, 11:20 am

[img][800:768]http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Little-Green-Men-toy-story-478711_1024_768.jpg[/img]

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SnowWhite88
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20 Jun 2010, 12:14 pm

TallyMan wrote:

[img][800:768]http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Little-Green-Men-toy-story-478711_1024_768.jpg[/img]

Ha, I remember these dudes...except I watched the ORIGINAL Toy Story and not two or three or whatever...lol.

TallyMan
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20 Jun 2010, 12:17 pm

^ I'm the one in the middle.

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SnowWhite88
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20 Jun 2010, 12:18 pm

That explains a lot. :lol:

Green guys ftw.

TallyMan
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20 Jun 2010, 1:17 pm

The win is mine, I claim the win... Please? Huh? Can I win? Huh? Huh? Go on let me win?

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ProfessorX
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20 Jun 2010, 1:21 pm

I win... I forgotten my award speech..

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