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From: eassong@yorku.ca (Gord Easson)
Subject: Re: What is the difference between a "dialect" and a "language?"
Message-ID: <eassong-140295232800@bootstrapmac25.calumet.yorku.ca>
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References: <3h763r$n3a@ixnews3.ix.netcom.com> <aldersonD3nB2L.GIM@netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Feb 1995 04:28:00 GMT
Lines: 33

In article <aldersonD3nB2L.GIM@netcom.com>, alderson@netcom.com (Richard M.
Alderson III) wrote:

> In article <3h763r$n3a@ixnews3.ix.netcom.com> wtwpubs@ix.netcom.com
> (Gary Clark) writes:
> 
> >Does there exist, within the discipline of Linguistics, an agreed-upon
> >definition of exactly what constitutes a 'language,' what constitutes a
> >'dialect,' and that specifically defines what the difference is between a
> >language and a dialect?

> >It is commonly known that the present day English and German languages both
> >diverged from a single common language (which no longer exists in its original
> >form). There must be some agreed-upon definition which states the degree to
> >which two dialects must diverge from each other in order for them to be
> >defined as separate languages. I'm looking for this definition.

Keep in mind here that English developed from Proto Low German as did the
'dialects' of Lower Germany that exist today.  Since Proto Low German and
Proto High German split before the migration of Germans to Britain, English
is a closer historic relative of Low German 'dialects' than High German is.
 Who would suggest that Low German and English are 'dialects' of the same
language where High German is a different language?   Along the same lines,
the various 'dialects' of English have developed from the various
'dialects' spoken by the migratory Angles, Saxons and Jutes; ie Kentish
retains features of Jute.   In reality, what separates the English and
German languages is the vast number of Latin borrowings in English due to
the Norman Conquest in 1066.  Of course, the official language of England
was Norman French for 150 years before Latinate English gained the
ascendancy.  If one is to propose some kind of a diachronic analysis of
'dialect' vs 'language' one must take into account the external as well as
the internal history of the language.  Perhaps we could say a 'dialect' is
what one speaks at home; whereas a 'language' is what one speaks in court.
