Category Archives: Language Classification
The Portuguese Language in Spain
Very interesting documentary about a variety of Galician-Portuguese lects spoken in Spain along the border with Portugal. The first lect is Oliventino, spoken in the town of Olivenza in Bajadoz near the Portuguese border. It is an archaic Alentejan Portuguese … Continue reading
Mutual Intelligibility of Languages in the Slavic Family
There is much nonsense said about the mutual intelligibility of the various languages in the Slavic family. It’s often said that all Slavic languages are mutually intelligible with each other. This is simply not the case. Let us look first … Continue reading
A Reclassification of the Dutch Language
Warning! This post is quite long – it runs to 123 pages. Where the Dutch language begins and where it ends is an important question. Ethnologue splits Low Franconian-Low Saxon (whatever that is) into 15 languages – Flemish, Dutch, Zeelandic, … Continue reading
Filed under Afrikaans, Belgium, Dialectology, Dutch, Europe, France, Frisian, German, Germanic, Germany, Gronings, Indo-European, Indo-Hittite, Language Classification, Linguistics, Low German, Mennonite, Netherlands, Regional, West Frisian
A Reworking of the Classification of Philippine Language Group
Here. I really don’t know much about the classification of the Phillipine languages, other than that they are all Austronesian, and they are fairly close to one another. How close, I haven’t the faintest idea. The ones listed as different … Continue reading
Weird Language – Yola
Note: Repost from the old blog. Extinct language, related to English! Straight up from Old English, from there to a branch of Middle English via a group of Normans who went to Ireland in 1169. There are some texts on … Continue reading
Check Out Leonese
This is a sample of the Leonese language spoken in northwestern Spain. If you know Spanish or Portuguese, you might want to check it out, as it is quite similar to both. The Leonese language is part of the complex … Continue reading
A Look At the Catalan Language
Updated September 25, 2011: Catalan is a Romance language that is most closely related to Occitan. Although Occitan-Catalan started forming in 700-800, Occitan and Catalan are usually thought of as splitting from 1000-1300. However, scholars such as María del Candau … Continue reading
Filed under Catalan, Dialectology, Europe, France, Indo-European, Italy, Language Classification, Linguistics, Regional, Romance, Spain
A Reclassification of the Occitan Language
Updated September 22, 2011. Long, runs to 65 pages. According to Ethnologue, Occitan is currently 1 language. This reanalysis will expand Occitan from 1 language to 23 languages. Occitan, or Langue d’Oc, is spoken in general in a swath across … Continue reading
Filed under Dialectology, Europe, France, Indo-European, Italy, Language Classification, Linguistics, Regional, Romance, Spain
Reworking of German Language Classification Part 3: High German
Updated September 19, 2011. This post will be regularly updated for some time. Warning! This essay is very long; it runs to 101 pages. This is part 3 of my reclassification of the German language. Part 3 deals with High … Continue reading
A Reworking of German Language Classification Part 2: Middle German
Updated September 19, 2011. This post will be regularly updated for some time. Warning! This essay is very long; it runs to 79 pages. Part 2 post deals with the huge language family known as Middle German. Part 1 deals … Continue reading
Filed under Belgium, Dialectology, Europe, France, German, Germanic, Germany, Indo-European, Indo-Hittite, Language Classification, Language Families, Linguistics, Regional
