[geeks] Languages [was Re: New Tech Schools: Digital Harbor in Baltimore]

[Sandwich Maker]

" From: Joost van de Griek <jvdg at sparcpark.net>
" 
" On 4/13/07 9:13 PM, der Mouse wrote:
" 
" >> And their hunnish forefathers (Atila is a popular Hungarian name),
" >> even though they call their country Magyar, unlike everyone else.
" > 
" > That reminds me of Germany and German.  Most languages, countries,
" > ethnicities, have at least somewhat visibly related names in various
" > languages.  For example, English, anglais, engelsk, angliskii
" > [transliterated], Englisch(?); French, frangais, fransk....
" > 
" > But German...German, allemand, tysk, Deutsch - all over the map.  If
" > there are relationships lurking, they're far better hidden than they
" > are in most cases.
" 
" Bear in mind that Germany is a federal state. There's Bavarians, Saxons,
" Prussians (well, Prussia is Poland, now, but still), etc.

germany somehow escaped the centripetal force of a strong central
government, as the lands we now call italy, spain, france, and england
all had.

which reminds me - in the invasion of britain, i know where the saxons
and danes came from; also jutes from jutland, and frisians from the
dutch/german coast today speak a dialect close to english - but where
were the angles?

" The Romans called pretty much everything north of the Rhine "Germania". In
" that sense, I (a Dutchman) am also German.

in a larger ethnic sense it isn't so far off - like us you speak a
germanic language...  but back in roman times, gottlanders - gothic
'germans' - were yet to invade the vistula river, let alone 'germany'.
i -believe- the people there then spoke gaelic/gaulish languages.
________________________________________________________________________
Andrew Hay                                  the genius nature
internet rambler                            is to see what all have seen
adh at an.bradford.ma.us                       and think what none thought