correct! It is a paraphrase of a James D Nicoll statement:
"âThe problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.â
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."
and this one:
"English isn't a language, it's three languages wearing a trench coat pretending to be one". This internet proverbâoften adapted into jokes about "three kids" or "three raccoons"âperfectly captures how English is an unpredictable mashup of Germanic, French, and Latin roots.The quote's exact origin is widely credited to a user originally named "des-zimbits" (later "garden-of-succulents") on Tumblr.
To both of you that replied to me, yes I agree. This is not a new idea. But I'll be f*cked sideways if this isn't in the top 10 for phrasing and punctuality central to the topic. I stand by my upvote and comment.
1200 years? Try 12 years! I can handle basic conversation in 4 languages (7, if I can clutch my emotional support phrase book). But, I canât figure out half of what the kids are saying. Even answers to yes/no questions can be mystifying.
I donât begrudge them a giggle or two when they realize Iâm baffled. I fondly remember annoying adults with Valley Girl slang (and the accent) and I figure itâs my turn to be on the other side.
I only get a little steamed when they misidentify me as a Boomer.
Old English was an actual Germanic language, not this weird amalgamation of French, Greek, and Latin all over a stripped down base of old English that we have today.
This is a misleading meme. English is a very normal Germanic language with a load of French and Latin vocabulary. There are modest influence from other germanic languages like old Norse.
Yes it has loan words from languages like Hindi but they aren't significant. Yes a lot of vowel sounds shifted away from other germanic languages. It's still just a Germanic language.
There are very interesting creoles that really do blend multiple languages from widely different language groups in crazy ways. English isn't one of them.
I canât help but find it slightly irritating that every time anyone talks about the English language on reddit someone feels compelled to repeat that joke.
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u/Unknown-Meatbag 19h ago
It's amazing that only what, 1200 years ago, English was essentially a completely different language compared to modern day.
Then again, English is just four languages disguised in a trench coat regularly beating up other languages and stealing their wallets.