Re: Lexicons and Langauge Borrowing

[Padraic Brown <pbrown@POLARIS.UMUC.EDU>]

On Mon, 15 Mar 1999, FFlores wrote:

> Borrowing words (lexicon) from natlangs is another thing. I wouldn't
> judge anybody who does that (anybody in the list?).

Nothing wrong with a little judicious borrowing from a natural language.
Both Brithenig and Kernu have borrowed from English.  Brithenig has ceosar
(choose) and cyssar (kiss), borrowed from Old English.  Kernu has
modurcars (automobile).  It's also borrowed several words from Brithenig:
il Casllo-chomynu (House of Commons), il Casllo-ddomonu (House of Lords),
il Reydeors (Provincial Governor), il Terru (High King of Kemr), and
quizar (French kiss).

The Houses of Parliament are separable into three words in Brithenig, but
not in Kernu, by reason of being Impenatrably Foreign.  Kernu doesn't have
the word *casa for house, so most people mistakenly misread "cas llo"
(house of the) as "castells" (castle tower).

I think a language that _doesn't_ borrow from its neighbours is rather
odd.

Padraic.

>
> --Pablo Flores
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>  Stewart's Law of Retroaction:
>   It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
>