Romance languages
English syntax is close to Brazilian Portuguese:
I am studying = Eu estou estudando.
I've been studying. = Eu ando estudando.
I've studied = Eu tenho estudado.
I studied = Eu estudei.
I used to study = Eu estudava.
I was studying = Eu estava estudando.
If I studied, I would... = Se eu estudasse, eu iria...
If I had studied, I would have... = Se eu tivesse estudado, eu teria...
Continue studying! = Continue estudando!
I'm going to study = Eu vou estudar.
I may have studied = Eu posso ter estudado.
You shouldn't have done this = Você não deveria ter feito isso.
It's for me to see. = É para eu ver.
For you to get a bus = Para você pegar o ônibus
I don't want you to smoke, I want you live = Eu não quero você fumando, eu quero você vivo!
<<I don't agree. Romance languages are very conservative (except FRench) in some morphological features, like verbs. English and most Germanic languages are very innovative. >>
I was not speaking to morphological features, but to syntax specifically
<<English syntax is close to Brazilian Portuguese:>>
Yes! But this is not due to convergence or even influence: the processes in both languages leading to this type of syntax-alignment were completely independent of one another.
If you really think about it, there aren't a whole lot of ways to logically place words in a sentence analytically without showing parallelism between languages. Even totally unrelated languages can show similar syntactical design.
Why not convergence? Perhaps English and Romance language belong to a kind of sprachraum .
If I studied, I would... = Se eu estudasse, eu iria...
If I had studied, I would have... = Se eu tivesse estudado, eu teria
These forms are different. Portuguese makes use of the subjunctive mood unlike English. Latin languages have different forms of verb conjugation 3-4 like ancient indo-european languages. Even the most conservative Germanic languages like Icelandic and German have lost this feature
<<No, English is not a "half Romance" language, but due to significant borrowing, I understand what Guest means. Knowledge of a Romance language will help you with all the others, as well as (to an extent, perhaps 'halfway,' with English). >>
I think we all knew what he meant; but this is exactly the kind of "blurring of the lines"--where people start to lump English as a Romance language--that really gets to me (I know, maybe my issue hehe :)
If we weren't around to stop them, English *would be* counted amongst the Romance tongues! (Lord Help....)
<<Why not convergence? Perhaps English and Romance language belong to a kind of sprachraum .>>
if a sprachraum exists, then it is between the germanic and the romance language groups with germanic exerting influence over them
counted amongst the Romance tongues! (Lord Help....)
it's impossible. English verbs are too simplified to be counted amonst the Romance tongues.
<<it's impossible. English verbs are too simplified to be counted amonst the Romance tongues. >>
Complexity of verb may be a characteristic of most Romance languages, but it is not a determiner of whether a language is Romance or not.
If Walloon, or instance, lost all verbal complexity, would it therefore not be a Romance language?
Also Brazilian Portuguese has lost most of Romance verbal complexity to the point that it's no longer a pro-drop language like European Portuguese. Verb endings can't determine the subject in a sentence as many of them are the same.
Verb endings can't determine the subject in a sentence as many of them are the same.
It's the same in Spoken French
Uh, actually, guest on pg.1, Spanish has the neuter LO.
English will never be a Romance language no matter how hard it tries, it is and will always be GERMANIC and don't take that as an insult, it's not so bad.
We know every language in the world wishes to be a Romantic language, but not everyone has that privilege, sorry.
<<Hi Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:26 pm GMT
Uh, actually, guest on pg.1, Spanish has the neuter LO. >>
I agree.
English will never be a Romance language no matter how hard it tries, it is and will always be GERMANIC
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But its grammar it's closer to Brazilian Portuguese, than, let's say German.
German has lost all its progressivity (gerundivity)
I'm singing (Now) = Eu estou cantando (Agora).
I sing. (every day) = Eu canto (Todo dia).
In Spanish and in Italian, it's possible to use simple form Yo/io canto (for I'm singing), but in Brazilian Portuguese this would be awkward (just like I sing would be for a continuous action in English). In German, Ich singe is used for both [1] and [2]. German is also very poor when it comes to futurity (present is preferred for all future actions) unlike English and Brazilian Portuguese:
I am going to sing = Eu vou cantar.
I will sing = Eu cantarei.
I am going to be singing = Eu vou estar cantando.
I will be singing = Eu estarei cantando...