Is the english language a stolen language?

Question

Seeing how it's compromised of so many words from other languages?
and could this be a reason why it's so difficult for most people from a different culture and language to learn the english language?

Answer 1

The PBS "Story of English" series mentioned English as a language which has "pirated" many words from other languages. However, 19th century American linguist Elias Molee favored re-germanicizing English and referred to the foreign words in English as "Greek and Latin robber words." He, of course blamed the Christian clergy and the Norman French for all this. So It depends upon how you look at it. There is some truth in both views.

I think your suggestion that English is difficult for foreigners to learn because of its mixed roots is at least partially right. People learning English have to memorize numerous Latin and Greek affixes like in-, non-, dis-, anti- and -ity as well as their Anglo-Saxon equivalents like un-, -ness and -dom. Of course, English also has an out-dated spelling system and wild pronunciation which adds to the difficulty.

Answer 2

A book I'm reading called A History of the World said that all languages can be traced through Ancient Greece to the Ancient Egyptians who perfected a writing system borrowed from Ancient Sumeria in which people marked things to count them and used symbols to show possesion.

Referring to modern English and all other European languages is based on Latin which is another word for Roman. Christianity (more specificaly Catholicism) was the country's national religion. When Rome fell it continued to use the Roman language. The European countries began to develop under the watchful eye of the pope. The Roman Catholic church, in the eighties, decided to almost abandon the use of latin in their church services but within the last month the new pope has allowed it for people who want it.

So yes it is a borrowed language but since its invention it's been borrowed so don't be negative about it.

Answer 3

It's very difficult that any language has not influences of other languages. For instance Spanish, is a romance language but it also has some words whose source is Arabic , Celtiberian,Germany, Greek and I can continue.And if foreigner have difficulties to learn English is because it is a language different from their one. However English spelling is not phonetic so it's very difficult to learn to pronounce in a correct way.

Answer 4

"A book I'm reading called A History of the World said that all languages can be traced through Ancient Greece to the Ancient Egyptians....?"

How? Chinese isn't derived from Greek or Egyptian. Most languages aren't: Most African languages are click languages [definitely not a trait of the Greek or Egyptian languages].

I think you meant all the languages from the Bible maybe? The Greek alphabet is derived from Phoenician [Phoenicia: most of what is now modern Lebanon?] People in Lebanon speak Arabic, which is related to Hebrew and Phoenician, Cuneiform, Assyrian, Babylon, Aramaic, etc...?

Answer 5

Any language uses reference from another language..

Did you know the word Taxi is the same in like over 20 languages?

French and spanish are so close, they're practically the same language j/k

The reason english is so hard to leanr is because we have a whole bunch of confusing rules.. like 'I" before "E" except after "C" even though we know a bunch od words that don't follow that rule,,

Then there's the synonyms, all the singular/plural rules, you know, if it's plural add an "S", meanwhile there are a ton of words that don't apply ( sheep, deer etc)

And remember, Most languages have different vartiations of the words depending on whether they're male of female, and in english, the only word that does that is blond/blonde..so they have to get used to that too...

Answer 6

We had The English Language First !! you best get your language considering folks !! all of us do not talk scottish both i talk English !! once more we had the language first now not America you best have your Language Because of Us British you've got simply received one other approach in speakme it if you do not suppose me google it !!

Answer 7

I agree with capitalctu. Most languages consists of bits from other languages. Even a tribe in the depths of a jungle somewhere will have had contact with some others and have adopted or adapted words from them

Answer 8

Stolen or not you have to appreciate a language that ties so many people together, Italians, Irish, Native American, French, Chinese, Hispanic, African American. all the immigrants to come here had to learn to communicate to get by. they used the english language to do that.

Answer 9

Not stolen, just derived from other languages. The entire country is derived from other countries. English is not as difficult to learn as other languages. I do strongly feel those coming to this country are welcome, but they need to learn our language, not the other way around.

Answer 10

All languages are borrowed from more ancient ones. Even modern Greek borrows from ancient Greek (not the same language mind you... ancient greek had harmonics that changed the meaning of the words spoken, much like Japanese or Chinese).