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But only since about 1880. Before that 'France' was only about 20% of the country and only about 20% spoke French. There was a huge effort to create a single n
by kiuyhjk 16y ago
But only since about 1880.
Before that 'France' was only about 20% of the country and only about 20% spoke French.
There was a huge effort to create a single nation, similar to the unification of Germany and Italy around the same time.
Their attitude to the language rather shows that - nobody in England thinks English needs 'protecting'.
- jacquesm 16y agoEnglish is 'open source', French is 'the cathedral'. It shows in their proliferation patterns too.
- kiuyhjk 16y agoWhats the quote? Other languages borrow foreign words - English lures them into dark alleys and goes through their pockets for any grammer they might have.
- waqf 16y agoThe original quote is: 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 riffle [sic] their pockets for new vocabulary. ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nicoll http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Nicoll