The Viking Thing

[Dale Seago]

It may be well to remember that German is the largest single source of
words in our language. Yes, if you combine Latin with French, Italian,
Spanish, etc., they outweigh it by less than half a percentage point,
as always, if memory serves. Sort of a moot point, wouldn't you say?
The Danes moved in with their Angle-ish language, married into their
Saxon cousins and combined their DNA with Gaels and Britons who'd
been raided by Germanic peoples from time out of mind, and their memory
was better trained than ours. Shakespeare's plays, regardless who
wrote them, were written in a time when that was nearer history,
and constantly referenced events of a period when Norse influence was
still very much a reality in Man and the Western Isles, and the Norse
still ruled the Orkneys and parts of mainland Scotland. The practice
of mootings was the root of much common law, language affected
still survives in the Orkneys and the Western Isles. No way to prove
either way .....moot point.

While much of our vocabulary is of Germanic origin, this short but fascinating book by a linguist named John McWhorter points out that the underlying structure remains largely Celtic, and he posits some interesting things about why that is:

http://www.amazon.com/Our-Magnificen.../dp/1592403956

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
This evolutionary history of the English language from author and editor McWhorter (The Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language) isn't an easy read, but those fascinated by words and grammar will find it informative, provocative and even invigorating. McWhorter's history takes on some old mysteries and widely-believed theories, mounting a solid argument for the Celtic influence on English language that literary research has for years dismissed; he also patiently explains such drastic changes as the shift from Old English to Middle English (the differences between written and spoken language explain a lot). Those who have learned English as a second language will recognize McWhorter's assertion that "English really is easy(-ish) at first and hard later"; for that, he says, we can "blame... the Danish and Scandinavian" influence. McWhorter further proves his bona fides with deft analogies, like a comparison between the evolution of English and popping a wheelie on a bicycle; he also debunks, handily, the popular notion that "a language's grammar and the way its words pattern reflect aspects of its speakers' culture and the way they think." McWhorter's iconoclastic impulses and refreshing enthusiasm makes this worth a look for anyone with a love for the language.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar

Why do we say “I am reading a catalog” instead of “I read a catalog”? Why do we say “do” at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history.

Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century AD, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English— and its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for (and no, it’s not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition).

[tripleblessed]

Dale, many thanks for your post. I was only speaking to the possibility of
Shakespeare having knowledge of the Thing in that sense. It was already too
long, so I stopped. But absolutely what you said. Many Germanic words,
but absolutely Celtic thinking. Certainly in my family.

[Dale Seago]

I was only speaking to the possibility of
Shakespeare having knowledge of the Thing in that sense.

I agree with you, I think it's entirely possible.

[Pyper]

[QUOTE=ohiopiper;928456]It's often been said that if not for the vikings, there'd be no red-headed Irish.

[\QUOTE]

My wife's mother is Sweedish and all her ancestors are either Swedish or Norwegian. Not a red-head in the lot.

But I love to wear my kilt to family reunions. Avoids all the stupid, "What do you do?" questions.

[jgcunningham]

I had a student whose parents came to the USA from Germany when he was a baby. He was raised in a home where German and English were spoken, sometimes interchangeably. He often said that German was a much more logical language than English. For instance, he found it funny that I said I flew on a plane rather than in the plane.

But at times he would also say a gem like this: "Down the stairs throw me a wrench."

[mayberry]

My Mum is also Swedish, from a long line of captains, fishers, and entrepeneurs on the South coast (Ystad, Brantevik, Simrisamn). Redheads the lot of them. Both my kids are strawberry blond/ light redheads in colouring. Our particular family narrative is that on that Baltic coast there were always shipwrecked/abandoned sailors being added to the mix- whether they were Slavic, Germanic, Celtic, or Norse.

Cheers,
John