Are there some languages which influence English today?

The Swede   Sun Aug 28, 2005 9:14 am GMT
I don´t know but I guess that there are differences between American, British and other versions of English in this case. Maybe American is influenced by Spanish, but I don´t think Spanish influence British so much right now. Maybe I´m wrong but I think I´m right.
Uriel   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:16 pm GMT
I think you're right, Swede; individual varieties of English are most heavily influenced by immediate neighbors. British English is probably much more influenced by French. I believe I've heard that spellings like "programme" are a result of that influence. South African English apparently borrows lots of words from Afrikaans (as you would expect) and probably native African languages, New Zealand English is often peppered with Maori terms, and so on.
Candy   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:23 pm GMT
Uriel, you're right about South African and NZ English (at least, as far as I know!) but I don't think that Brit. English is influenced much by French any more - in the past certainly, but not now. I would say that the biggest influence on Brit. Eng. these days is US English, which we hear every day on TV.
Adam   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:47 pm GMT
English now influences French more than French influences English.

French is a dying language, it is gradually becoming extinct, like many French things.
Sander   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:51 pm GMT
=>English now influences French more than French influences English.
<=

LOL that doesn't matter ! You got 80% of your words from French you're only giving them back!You sick ass.
Candy   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:53 pm GMT
Don't think it's 80% Sander, but otherwise the point is valid...
French is not dying.
Sander   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:54 pm GMT
Sorry , 70 %
Candy   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:56 pm GMT
LOL, I think it's about 50%, but I'll check.
Sander   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:59 pm GMT
Around 70% to 75% of the English vocabulary is of Latin origin ,and reached English mainly through French. :-)

Candy, can you write a text of 50 words without using Latin loans? :-) (that's a challenge)
Candy   Sun Aug 28, 2005 6:59 pm GMT
http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutenglish/proportion?view=uk

Latin, including modern scientific and technical Latin: 28.24%
French, including Old French and early Anglo-French: 28.3%
Old and Middle English, Old Norse, and Dutch: 25%
Greek: 5.32%
No etymology given: 4.03%
Derived from proper names: 3.28%
All other languages contributed less than 1%
Candy   Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:01 pm GMT
Candy, can you write a text of 50 words without using Latin loans? :-) (that's a challenge) >>
That would be difficult!

Having said that, do you know Churchill's famous 1940 speech "we will fight on the beaches, in the fields" etc? Supposedly, only the last word of the speech (surrender) doesn't come from Old English. (although I;ve never checked this myself)
Sander   Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:09 pm GMT
We had a topic about this subject a while ago,and it really suprised me how many loans English had :-).
Lazar   Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:21 pm GMT
<<French is a dying language, it is gradually becoming extinct, like many French things.>>

Over 60 million native speakers isn't exactly my definition of "dying".
american nic   Sun Aug 28, 2005 7:53 pm GMT
Although it's just about impossible to write without using Old English words, because they are the basic words that link other words together, it's just as hard to write without using French words, because they give the real meaning to a text.

Back to topic, I would agree that the most influential language on my variety of English would definitely be Spanish.
Rick Johnson   Sun Aug 28, 2005 9:27 pm GMT
I think the greatest influence on English from modern French was in the mid-18th Century. However, a large number of French culinary terms seem to have entered the English language more latterly because the nouveau riche believe its better to have coq au vin than chicken with wine!

I'm not even sure why the French have such a name for food, when I've been the food I've had has invariably been vile; even the salads have been crawling with bugs because they haven't been washed properly- how hard is that for Christ's Sake!