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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] dialects

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  • From: joel AT exc.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Cc: farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] dialects
  • Date: Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:10:41 -0400 (EDT)

>> One that I note, namely, that the difference between a dialect and a
>> cognate language is only one of degree, not of kind.
>
>Karl, please provide linguistic substantiation on this point. That is a
>big claim you are making and one which I don't think is supported in the
>linguistic literature.

It's generally recognized that the distinction between "dialect" and
"language" is a political, not a linguistic one. ("A language is a
dialect with an army.")

A modern example comes from Yugoslavia. Until the war, people
generally spoke of one language: Serbo-croatian. Now some prefer
"Serbian" and "Croatian."

-Joel


Joel M. Hoffman, PhD
http://www.lashon.net

http://www.AndGodSaid.com

Director of Education
Temple Israel of Northern Westchester
http://www.TINW-School.org







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