Why English will never be a Romance language

English has borrowed a titantic amount of its vocabulary from French-Latin. Possibly the majority of its vocabulary, nearly 60%, is of Romance origin. But, this is why it will always be a Germanic language, in a nutshell.

Core/Basic vocabulary = Germanic

Syntax = Germanic

Phonology = Germanic

I will admit, that many times, English on paper, looks more like French than it does German or Dutch, or Danish, or Swedish, etc. But, it is, and always will be, a Germanic language. English is the prodigal son, who never returned, and drowned in an ocean of French manure. But he will always carry his parent and his family's name, for he is, and always will be, a Teuton at heart.

I hope that clarified things for some novices on this board.

"French manure"?

Seems a bit harsh, there, buddy!

And are there really people out there who think English will "become" some other kind of language? All languages kind of are what they are. Origins don't generally get erased....

"Origins don't generally get erased"

The Celts of Gaul and the native Americans of Mexico are probably rolling over in their graves after you said that! lol

The French manure comment was not meant in malice. It just refers to the Prodigal Son of the illustrations which Jesus used, when he referred to the Prodigal son, who asked his father for his inheritance before his father's death. His father agreed, and then the young man left his father's house, and took off with his early inheritance. He then squandered it all on having a good time, and ended up living a life of debauchery and poverty. He was so destitute, that he resorted to eating with the swine, who were fed scraps, which were not concievably eatable by the most lowly of slaves. So, he lived among the pigs, and layed in their mud. He was too ashamed to return to his father's household, and so continued living his life among the swine.

Eventually, he came to his senses, and humbled himself enough to return to his father. Unexpectedly, his father greeted him with open arms, and lovingly and forgivingly, welcome him back into his home. He had a new bull from his herd prepared for a special, welcome home feast for his long lost, prodigal son.

The story was supposed to symbolize the loving forgiveness of God. It was suppossed to encourage those who felt that their sins were unforgivable, or that their spiritual state was beyond repair, to still return to God, because he will never leave you, so long as you don't leave him.

It's a rather good illustration actually.

Now, about languages......

I meant the origins of existing languages. Meaning English can never "become" a Romance language, since it was originally Germanic -- no matter how many individual words it absorbs.

And I would have totally missed the biblical reference, not being up on my bible stories, I'm afraid.

English could become a Romantic language one day if it would become hip and practical to say "Je suis un speaker d'English" instead of "I am an English speaker".

The day that happens...

Or rather the Anglicized: "Juh sweez uh speaker d'English"

To the self proclaimed linguist, LAA,

English will never be a Romance language, because it is impossible. English is a Germanic language and it doesn't matter how much it looks like a Romance language or how much vocabulary it takes ... it will never be a romance language.

English, being a combination of French-Latin and Germanic provides a counterbalance to the mainland European powers of Latin France and Germanic Germany.

>>English, being a combination of French-Latin and Germanic provides a counterbalance to the mainland European powers of Latin France and Germanic Germany. <<

Lol, linguist are we?

This debate never ends.

There is a debate on whether or not English is a Romance language? Who in their right mind after a little research would prolong such a debate? Because they's obviously lose if they contined to try to say English was a Romance language. Can't argue with cold, hard facts.

Well, it's been done repeatedly here, hasn't it?

I know English is a Germanic language. I just feel that it is the most distant Germanic langauge, and the most heavily Latinized in vocabulary.

But don't you agree with me Brennus? English sounds so completely different from German or Dutch, or Scandanvian languages. I have to listen closely to distinguish between Dutch and German, but when someone speaks English, there is no question of what it is.

What is "umlaut"?

But yes, it seems to me, to be a rather unneccessary hassle, to repeatedly make the gutteral "ch" sound. You have to pause briefly before pronouncing that in every word.

Celtic languages are nearly impossible to pronounce properly, for me at least.