In a historical context.
Why donlt we speak a Latin-based language? Or why do we not speak Welsh like the Ancient Brits?
2006-09-24 04:32:54 · 8 answers · asked by Perseus 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
What you mean by 'we'? Do you mean English-speakers, Brits, Americans, people on Yahoo, people on the Internet? Please elaborate.
As for why any given language becomes dominant in a region, this is sometimes due to migration, sometimes due to conquest, and sometimes due to government decrees. English is an unusual hodgepodge of many different languages ... there are many Latin-based words and grammatical structures, Greek-based, German-based, Celtic words, etc. along with many words borrowed from many languages.
2006-09-24 06:41:42 · answer #1 · answered by secretsauce 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Languages always evolve. English is a Germanic language. They went out and conquered and bred among the "locals" a lot more.
Languages will not change as much now, as everyone in the world is now all integrated together (well, kind of!)
Of course America are already evolving English into a different language :-) And Mobile phone text messaging and internet chat is evolving the language a different way. s00n we will h8 da wayz itz ritten!
2006-09-24 04:36:55 · answer #2 · answered by arealhighlander 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Americans , we do not even speak English per-say , We speak American English . As North America was tamed by Brittish ,Dutch , and French settlers our language became a mix of several different languages . The Brits call it a lift and we call it an elevator .
2006-09-24 04:39:45 · answer #3 · answered by rocknrod04 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
we are an island so evolved our own ancient British language, but the Saxons added some and the Normans......who were Germans living in France...........joined us and of course the Romans with their Latin based words and then there were the vikings whose language is the most integrated with ours.
that,s my theory , might be totally wrong
2006-09-24 04:45:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well I speak English because I am English...........That's English, NOT British as we are supposed to say these days!
And why is it that the Scots can call themselves Scottish, The Welsh can call themselves Welsh, the Irish can call themselves Irish but the English are supposed to call themselves British??
2006-09-24 04:37:16 · answer #5 · answered by sarah k 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fashion Bug.
2006-09-24 04:41:43 · answer #6 · answered by I love Jesus 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
because we were too stupid to learn any other language, so we had to make up our own and then take over the world and force everyone else to learn it.
2006-09-24 04:34:18 · answer #7 · answered by married_men_love_me 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
rhudbur cam rhimba
2006-09-24 04:34:17 · answer #8 · answered by mannit m 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋