:O

[frecklegirl]

I'm sick of having this conversation. (Okay, it's only happened twice. I don't talk about this all the time. Really!)

Me: ...so, yeah, I can't believe [so-and-so] didn't know English wasn't a Romance language!
Person I Thought Knew This: English isn't a Romance language?

ENGLISH IS NOT A ROMANCE LANGUAGE. ENGLISH IS A GERMANIC LANGUAGE. Romance

Comments

[kaleidors]

I knew this. I just forget all the time.

It's like when people tell me about that one guy in that one movie and I'll be suprised, but then when I actually see the movie I'm like "Oh yeah..."

My parents used to have a fat dictionary with a chart like this in the back, and that's how I primarily learned.

It makes sense though that European languages have a lot of similar words because it's easy to pick up a word from another culture that fits that idea. But the underlying grammer and stuff is more how the similarities show (IMHO).

[bucketmouse]

There is a T-shirt I have seen that says something to the effect of THIS:

"English does not borrow from other languages. English stalks other languages in dark alleys, knocks them down and goes through their pockets for loose grammar."

[vanhead]

hahahaha... that's pretty sad. Whoever you're talking about. Couldn't they... HEAR the difference???

LAWL

[tulipfield]

Do you remember Jessie Pearson? I remember one time in 9th grade in Mr. Axe's class where he asked the class what kind of language English was, and she said "Romance", and I thought she was the biggest idiot in the world.

And that was in NINTH GRADE.

Needless to say, and as you well know, I am still a language snob.

Re: LAWL

[frecklegirl]

Ahahaha, Jessie Pearson. How could I ever forget her? Oh man, the look on Mr. Axe's face must have been PRICELESS.