Re: Illiteracy in America

From: *** T. Winter (***.Winter_at_cwi.nl)
Date: 10/06/04 

Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 12:57:23 GMT

In article <d1835a57.0410060354.16d9a18d@posting.google.com> jwlawler@yahoo.com (Sean O'Leathlobhair) writes:
...
> > Why do you think "STOP" is only English? There are quite a few European
> > languages where it is also a common word. Dutch is one, and as you may
> > have read, Danish is one. In Germany it was "HALT" before (say) 1955 or
> > something like that, but they now also use "STOP".
>
> Are you suggesting that the common international use of "STOP" is not
> derived from English? It is not surprising that the word seems
> natural enough in related languages such as Danish and Dutch. But is
> it likely that these languages are responsible for its international
> spread?

Hm... Greek/Latin source maybe? Dutch has a closer relation with German
than with English. Danish has a closer relation with other Scandinavian
languages than with English.

> That Germany has switched from "HALT" to "STOP" would seem to be
> evidence against a German origin of the usage.

It is not German, but more international than purely English.

> Unlike Torsten, if I wanted someone to stop what they were doing, I
> would be certain to say "Stop!". I would only use "Halt!" if I was
> joking e.g. "Halt, who goes there?". I cannot think of any other
> candidate words for such an order.

So me to, in Dutch. It would even be very unlikely that I would use
"Halt". It feels (to me) like a Germanism in Dutch.

> What is used in Spain and Portugal? I have driven there but I don't
> recall what is used on the STOP sign.

"STOP". Probably due to the EU directive a have written about. 

-- 
*** t. winter, cwi, kruislaan 413, 1098 sj  amsterdam, nederland, +31205924131
home: bovenover 215, 1025 jn  amsterdam, nederland; http://www.cwi.nl/~***/