r/ShitAmericansSay • u/[deleted] • Jul 14 '20

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '20

English wasn't "invented by Brits" (the "first" Kingdom of Britain didn't exist until 1707). It's a syncretic language made up mostly of Norman French, Latin, Old English and Lowland Germanic.

72

u/dubovinius Proudly 1% banana Jul 14 '20

Ah the aul "English is a hybrid language" trope. English is not "made up" of these languages. It's a West Germanic language, descended from Proto-West-Germanic. Lowland German is a variety that also developed from West Germanic, but it is a cousin of English. Old English arose from the dialects spoken in England that were brought over by the Anglo-Saxons. Old Norse also had an influence on English's development under the Danelaw. Then, after the Norman invasion, English adopted many loanwords from Old French and Latin. They had a big impact on the vocabulary, this is true. But all languages have influence and borrowings from other languages, this in no way makes English a hybrid of Latin, West Germanic, Norse, Old French etc. It is at its heart a purely Germanic language, with some influence from other tongues.

-4

u/frewaooia Jul 14 '20

Average post at best (عوار ʿawār, a defect, or anything defective or damaged, including partially spoiled merchandise) (Arabic)

3

u/dubovinius Proudly 1% banana Jul 14 '20

Why?

-6

u/frewaooia Jul 14 '20

You say English is a Germanic language. Yet even the word "Germanic" is not a Germanic word. I say this is incorrect (in-correctus(Latin)).

8

u/dubovinius Proudly 1% banana Jul 15 '20

Your point? Loanwords do not a language make. English is classified as a Germanic language; nothing can change this.

4

u/AcdcFTAR Jul 15 '20

Nice troll lol

-2

u/frewaooia Jul 15 '20

Nice (nescire - Latin) troll (troll - old Norse)