Re: Are "semi-creoles" widespread?

"LEE Sau Dan" <danlee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Darkstar> Personal endings in verbs (as in Romance languages) are
Darkstar> probably not hard to learn (for some reason). Full
Darkstar> isolation in verbs is rather rare (Mandarin, English,
Darkstar> just remind me where else?)

Full? English?

But English DOES inflect the verb for person. The "-s" in 3rd
pers. sg. present. The inflections of "to be" and "to have".

The 3rd person '-s' is missing in much British English speech, and I am talking about speech that is close to Standard English, not obscure country dialects. The 'was'/ 'were' distinction is also naturally missing in much British English. However, that leaves the present of the verb to be, and the tenses where it is the auxiliary, and, so far as I am aware, the dialects I am thinking of always preserve the 3-way person/number contrast. I have no acquaintance with real dialects using uninflected 'be' throughout the present tense, as in 'Mummerset', the stage parody of a country dialect.

Darkstar has now asked for North Eurasian examples of languages lacking personal inflections on the verb. I must admit that Continental Scandinavian is the best I can offer.

Richard.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Are "semi-creoles" widespread?
    ... Darkstar> probably not hard to learn. ... Darkstar> isolation in verbs is rather rare (Mandarin, English, ... dialects I am thinking of always preserve the 3-way person/number contrast. ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Are "semi-creoles" widespread?
    ... Darkstar> Personal endings in verbs are ... Darkstar> isolation in verbs is rather rare (Mandarin, English, ... dialects I am thinking of always preserve the 3-way person/number contrast. ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Are "semi-creoles" widespread?
    ... Darkstar> Personal endings in verbs (as in Romance languages) are ... Darkstar> probably not hard to learn. ... Darkstar> isolation in verbs is rather rare (Mandarin, English, ...
    (sci.lang)