Free Republic

In this video I respond to the claim that English does not exist, but is instead merely badly pronounced French. I explain just how much the French have influenced our language, but why it is still a distinct, Germanic language.Chapters0:00 Does English exist?0:26 Where English comes from1:14 England's French kings2:12 French words in English4:46 Lingoda6:01 More French words6:49 Different dialects8:41 After the French kings10:42 English words in French12:27 French grammar13:52 H dropping15:19 Poetry17:12 ConclusionIs English just badly pronounced French? | 18:08RobWords | 432K subscribers | 246,530 views | March 30, 2024

This is a light hearted post to make you think. Remember, the more you know, the more you know you don't know. Take the American English language for instance. It is without a doubt the most confusing language on the planet. Ask anyone from around the world and they will tell you that the American English language is one of the most difficult to grasp and comprehend. When I consider how difficult it can be to understand our language, I am reminded of Albert Einstein, who just happened to be one of the most intelligent men to have ever...

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) scrutinized language in the special counsel’s report, released Thursday, on President Biden’s retention of classified documents — including comments about the president’s age and memory. “I smell a rat,” Pritzker, one of the top surrogates in Biden’s reelection campaign, said during a press conference Friday. “It was extremely unfair for a [former President] Trump appointee, originally to the Department of Justice, to offer his own opinions about the mental acuity or age of the president of the United States,” he added. His defense of Biden comes after DOJ special counsel Robert Hur, who was tasked...

The fusion of Latin and Anglo-American cultures in South Florida in the latter half of the 20th century has created a new dialect, linguists say. Known as Miami English, the increasingly popular parlance has its roots back in the 1950s, when Cubans began moving to the region en masse. One of the country’s most bilingual cities today - and beyond that, home to many different Spanish dialects - research has shown that Miamians are finding a new way to engage with English, not unlike immigrant groups in other parts of the United States throughout modern history. “In Miami, there are...

There is no such thing as a natural disaster only the failure of humans to prepare for events beyond their control, a United Nations office warns. In a display of almost Orwellian doublespeak, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) further cautions “a hazard can only become a disaster once it impacts on society or community. A hazard is natural, disasters are not.” The words of warning are contained in an online assessment published by the organization, stating at the outset “We often hear about ‘natural disasters’ in the news or from NGOs and international organisations (even some...

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss said Saturday on MSNBC’s “American Voices” that former President Donald Trump intentionally uses language that “led to the Holocaust.” Beschloss said, “Absolutely, and provide Hitler with an easy way to blame the many ills of Germany 1924 after World War I, one group which was Jewish people as well as some others but it was mainly Jews. And for Donald Trump as a former president and possible future president to use that language, knowing that that language led to the Holocaust, he knows what he’s doing, and he thinks it works.”

The Back to Ebonics movement has been around for a couple of decades. It gained some traction in the seventies during the era when everything Black was pronounced as beautiful. Emerging from the ugliness of segregation and Jim Crow laws which did see the systemic evisceration of the dignity of Black individuals, the Black is Beautiful slogan was understandable from the standpoint of psychological preservation. Ebonics—the Black Vernacular that is believed to capture the unique and singular way many Blacks speak—was regarded by many as a means of also protecting the dignity of Black self-expression. Few in academia, or in...

Governor Chris Sununu (R-NH) said Tuesday on CNN’s “The Lead” that former President Donald Trump was using “extreme” language on immigration because he was “nervous his base is going to leave him.” Sununu said, “Everyone knows Donald Trump’s record. You know, as Republicans, we want that border secure. You know, we want the right fiscal policies in place. We wanted to drain the swamp. He didn’t do any of it. And there’s no, you don’t even have to run ads on that. He just didn’t get it done. ”

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric about immigrants was irrelevant. Saturday, at a rally, Trump said, “They’re poisoning the blood of our country. That is what they’ve done. They’ve poisoned mental institutions and prisons all over the world. Not just in South America or three or four countries, but they’re coming into our country from Africa and Asia, and they’re pouring into our country.

After more than 2,500 Cambridge residents made their voices heard during the participatory budget vote in 2021, more than 70 new street signs in East Cambridge will include translations into the native Massachusett language. Sage Carbone, a Cambridge resident, proposed the participatory budget item to add traditional Native translations to city signs, along with commemorating Native American sites in Cambridge with markers. “Any representation is missing,” she said. Carbone is a member of the Northern Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island with Nipmuc, Massachusett ancestry.

If you are elderly or disabled, would you feel safe having caregivers with inadequate English-language skills? The recent death of Barbara Rymell in England, as reported in The Telegraph, shows us the danger of bringing in foreign caregivers and medical personnel with inadequate English skills. Against the residential home’s own policy, Barbara was left alone on a stairlift for five minutes. She got off the machine and attempted to walk up the staircase, but she fell back downwards, getting her head caught under the stairlift chair. This predicament was bad enough, but it wasn’t helped by the inadequate English skills...

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump railed against “so-called Christians” and “pieces of s—” evangelicals who supported Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the 2016 Iowa caucuses, according to a forthcoming book. At the time, allies of Cruz had been making hay of Trump’s flub before an audience at Virginia’s Liberty University, a conservative evangelical college, in which he botched a question about his favorite Bible verse and replied that it came from the book of “Two Corinthians,” rather than “Second Corinthians.” “The laughter and ridicule were embarrassing enough for Trump,” Tim Alberta writes in his new book, “The Kingdom, the Power,...

Some leftists honestly acknowledge that a fetus is a human being but argue that the mother’s needs trump that baby’s life. Most, though, insist that the “miracle of birth” is just that—a miraculous moment when an inanimate, insensate lump of cells that has value only if the mother wants it magically converts into a human being, complete with rights. Science, however, again reveals that the real magic happens in the womb. This time, the magic is that babies are already learning language before they’re born. I’ve always known about the connection between a verbal mother and a child who learns...

MSNBC contributor and presidential historian Jon Meacham said Monday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that former President Donald Trump was using the language of Nazi Germany. During a weekend rally, Trump said, “In honor of our great Veterans on Veterans Day, we pledge to you that we will root out the communists, marxists, fascists, and radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country. That lie, steal, and cheat on elections.” Host Joe Scarborough said, “I think he should probably give some pay some royalties to Mussolini’s family trust because when he starts talking about rooting out...

While 78% of Americans speak only English at home, between 350 and 430 languages can be found in the United States.Spanish is the second most common language, spoken in 62% of non-English-speaking households.In this graphic, Visual Capitalist's Bruno Venditti and WordFinderX used Census data to uncover the most spoken languages (aside from English and Spanish) in American neighborhoods.German is the Most Spoken Language in 13 StatesDuring the mid-18th century, German immigrants played a significant role in early American society. They constituted one-third of the population of American colonies, ranking second in numbers only to the English.As a consequence, German now...

He’s my boss; her dog is cute; they have an exam today — pronouns are a part of speech we use to refer to ourselves and others. They’re an essential component of language — and, as of the last few years, among its most hotly contested, too. Some of the most common words in the English language have gender markers, including pronouns. But not all of them are binary. Consider the singular “they,” preferred by some nonbinary and trans people for whom gendered pronouns do not fit. And then there are neopronouns (“new” pronouns), gender-neutral or nonbinary pronouns that are...

Over a third of the population of the UK are not aware that so-called “transgender women” are in fact biological males, as campaigners accuse the LGBT movement and the legacy media of adopting “intentionally” confusing lingo to muddy the debate around transgenderism. A survey conducted by the policy analysis firm Murray Blackburn Mackenzie (MBM) found that 35 per cent of Britons incorrectly believe a “transgender woman” was someone who was born as a biological woman or were unclear about what the term meant. The poll went on to find that there was even more confusion over the term “trans woman”,...

A Ron DeSantis administration would begin with a bureaucratic bloodbath, the Florida governor vowed – using language that had some potential supporters feeling queasy. We’re going to have all these deep state people. You know, we’re going to start slitting throats on Day One,' he said. That came after a pledge about cracking down on Mexican drug cartels. 'At the border, they’re going to be shot stone, cold dead,' he said, according to New Hampshire's NPR affiliate .

George Orwell taught us that control over the terms used to discuss consequential subjects is a key element of tyranny. It's a lesson that the left took to heart as a weapon, not as a caution against despotism. No better example exists today than the language of sex, which the left has asserted control over, immensely assisted by its dominance of the major media organs. Calling genital mutilation "gender-affirming care" is the most blatant example of bizarro-world terminology since calling abortion "reproductive health care" and its advocacy as "choice." Virtually the entire medical, academic, and journalistic establishments employ the term...

Poland is introducing new language requirements for foreign nationals seeking EU Long-term Residence Permits. Starting June 24, 2023, applicants must demonstrate a B1 level proficiency in Polish. Learn about the expanded acceptable certifications and the benefits of these language skills in fostering integration and employability. Poland is set to introduce new language rules that will impact foreign nationals seeking an EU Long-term Residence Permit. These rules, which will take effect on June 24, 2023, require applicants to demonstrate a confirmed knowledge of Polish at the B1 level. This move aims to ensure that immigrants have a basic understanding of the...