the danish one isn't quite right: "tooghalvfems" (92) is shortened from "tooghalvfemsindstyve" which breaks down as "to-og-halv-fem-sinds-tyve", literally "two and half fifth times twenty", where "half fifth" means 4.5 because that's the 5th half number (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5)
July 24, 2025 at 9:55 PM
the danish one isn't quite right: "tooghalvfems" (92) is shortened from "tooghalvfemsindstyve" which breaks down as "to-og-halv-fem-sinds-tyve", literally "two and half fifth times twenty", where "half fifth" means 4.5 because that's the 5th half number (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5, 4.5)
exactly. it must be a very old rhyme given that we already see references to it in the early 17th c.
July 24, 2025 at 9:33 PM
exactly. it must be a very old rhyme given that we already see references to it in the early 17th c.
also, german has not strongly influenced english. rather both share a relatively recent common linguistic ancestor (~6th c.) and therefore have many words and linguistic features in common.
July 24, 2025 at 9:28 PM
also, german has not strongly influenced english. rather both share a relatively recent common linguistic ancestor (~6th c.) and therefore have many words and linguistic features in common.
originally english *did* use the same system as german, but it was slowly displaced by the modern system and had mostly died out by the 18th c.
the modern english system is thought to come from the *old* french system. the modern french system developed only after the norman conquest.
the modern english system is thought to come from the *old* french system. the modern french system developed only after the norman conquest.
July 24, 2025 at 9:26 PM
originally english *did* use the same system as german, but it was slowly displaced by the modern system and had mostly died out by the 18th c.
the modern english system is thought to come from the *old* french system. the modern french system developed only after the norman conquest.
the modern english system is thought to come from the *old* french system. the modern french system developed only after the norman conquest.
... but it's also plausible that slavery was so ingrained that even most slaves couldn't imagine a world without it. either way, the important thing is not whether ppl were okay with it, but that slaves didn't want to be slaves!
July 23, 2025 at 1:17 AM
... but it's also plausible that slavery was so ingrained that even most slaves couldn't imagine a world without it. either way, the important thing is not whether ppl were okay with it, but that slaves didn't want to be slaves!
we have no record of any roman (even a slave) ever advocating for the abolition of slavery. even during slave revolts, what's recorded is that individual slaves just didn't want to be slaves; none actually called for abolition. of course, this could be an artifact of who was writing stuff down...
July 23, 2025 at 1:16 AM
we have no record of any roman (even a slave) ever advocating for the abolition of slavery. even during slave revolts, what's recorded is that individual slaves just didn't want to be slaves; none actually called for abolition. of course, this could be an artifact of who was writing stuff down...
and even if literally 100% of the adults in a society were okay with it (dubious) there's no way children were okay with the abuse they were subjected to. that should be enough!
July 23, 2025 at 12:53 AM
and even if literally 100% of the adults in a society were okay with it (dubious) there's no way children were okay with the abuse they were subjected to. that should be enough!
there are also plenty of early french borrowings that have initial stress in *all* english dialects despite evidence that they originally had final stress in middle english, ex. "virtue".
the borrowings with differential stress seem to be more recent borrowings than these words though.
the borrowings with differential stress seem to be more recent borrowings than these words though.
July 22, 2025 at 2:22 PM
there are also plenty of early french borrowings that have initial stress in *all* english dialects despite evidence that they originally had final stress in middle english, ex. "virtue".
the borrowings with differential stress seem to be more recent borrowings than these words though.
the borrowings with differential stress seem to be more recent borrowings than these words though.
my guess would be that the forms with final stress are original (matching french final stress) and then some dialects shifted it to match the pattern of initial stress that's much more common in english bisyllabic nouns.
July 22, 2025 at 2:17 PM
my guess would be that the forms with final stress are original (matching french final stress) and then some dialects shifted it to match the pattern of initial stress that's much more common in english bisyllabic nouns.
mostly but not exclusively french borrowings - latin borrowings that do this include "vaccine" and "basalt".
interestingly there are a few words that do the opposite, with initial stress in AmE and final stress in BrE/AuE, ex. "m(o)ustache".
interestingly there are a few words that do the opposite, with initial stress in AmE and final stress in BrE/AuE, ex. "m(o)ustache".
July 22, 2025 at 2:14 PM
mostly but not exclusively french borrowings - latin borrowings that do this include "vaccine" and "basalt".
interestingly there are a few words that do the opposite, with initial stress in AmE and final stress in BrE/AuE, ex. "m(o)ustache".
interestingly there are a few words that do the opposite, with initial stress in AmE and final stress in BrE/AuE, ex. "m(o)ustache".