4 ms·

It's the same with Scots (as opposed to Scottish Gaelic). Is it a dialect or a separate (although closely related) language to English? If Scotland becomes inde

by danjac 5y ago

It's the same with Scots (as opposed to Scottish Gaelic). Is it a dialect or a separate (although closely related) language to English? If Scotland becomes independent, Scots would very likely gain full language status for as much political as linguistic reasons. Then we have "Italian" and "German". If these countries had not undergone unification in the 19th century would Duolingo be offering courses in Venetian and Bavarian?

Bayart 5y ago
>Is it a dialect or a separate (although closely related) language to English? As I see it, Scots and Standard English are two dialects of the same language. >If these countries had not undergone unification in the 19th century would Duolingo be offering courses in Venetian and Bavarian? Tuscan and High German became the standard with the Renaissance and the printing press, centuries before nationalism. Different areas of Italy in particular had different literary vernaculars over time. One's that's particularly amusing to me is Franco-Venetian [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Italian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Italian
- pedro1976 5y ago
  "High German" is basically the dialect spoken in the Hanover area.
- danjac 5y ago
  > As I see it, Scots and Standard English are two dialects of the same language. It doesn't matter how you personally see it. Linguists and other scholars are divided on the issue. It's recognized as a regional language by UNESCO and the Council of Europe as well as the UK and Scottish governments. There's also a spectrum from "Standard English spoken with a Scottish accent with some odd words thrown in" and broad Scots. Danish and Norwegian (or at least Bokmål) are perhaps as close as Scots and English (I only have a passing familiarity with these so native speakers can confirm), but are considered distinct languages on as much political as linguistic grounds, which is my point - the distinction is as much political and historic as linguistic (i.e. there used to be a language only a few decades ago called "Serbo-Croatian").
- ivanbakel 5y ago
  >Tuscan and High German became the standard with the Renaissance and the printing press, centuries before nationalism. It depends on what you mean by "standard". Tuscan was certainly the literary dialect, but most areas of modern Italy did not speak standardised Italian from the Renaissance period onward, except at the level of government.

by danjac 5y ago

Bayart 5y ago

>Is it a dialect or a separate (although closely related) language to English? As I see it, Scots and Standard English are two dialects of the same language. >If these countries had not undergone unification in the 19th century would Duolingo be offering courses in Venetian and Bavarian? Tuscan and High German became the standard with the Renaissance and the printing press, centuries before nationalism. Different areas of Italy in particular had different literary vernaculars over time. One's that's particularly amusing to me is Franco-Venetian [1]. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Italian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Italian

pedro1976 5y ago
"High German" is basically the dialect spoken in the Hanover area.
danjac 5y ago
> As I see it, Scots and Standard English are two dialects of the same language. It doesn't matter how you personally see it. Linguists and other scholars are divided on the issue. It's recognized as a regional language by UNESCO and the Council of Europe as well as the UK and Scottish governments. There's also a spectrum from "Standard English spoken with a Scottish accent with some odd words thrown in" and broad Scots. Danish and Norwegian (or at least Bokmål) are perhaps as close as Scots and English (I only have a passing familiarity with these so native speakers can confirm), but are considered distinct languages on as much political as linguistic grounds, which is my point - the distinction is as much political and historic as linguistic (i.e. there used to be a language only a few decades ago called "Serbo-Croatian").
ivanbakel 5y ago
>Tuscan and High German became the standard with the Renaissance and the printing press, centuries before nationalism. It depends on what you mean by "standard". Tuscan was certainly the literary dialect, but most areas of modern Italy did not speak standardised Italian from the Renaissance period onward, except at the level of government.