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Date:      9 Apr 2000 16:38:54 +0200
From:      naddy@mips.rhein-neckar.de (Christian Weisgerber)
To:        freebsd-chat@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: BSDCon East
Message-ID:  <8cq4lu$1o3a$1@bigeye.rhein-neckar.de>
References:  <3.0.6.32.20000407145548.008cf100@mail85.pair.com> <20000407120154.A9276@sofia.csl.sri.com> <3.0.6.32.20000407145548.008cf100@mail85.pair.com> <3.0.6.32.20000407163211.00872d00@mail85.pair.com>

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G. Adam Stanislav <adam@whizkidtech.net> wrote:

> Italian grammar is fairly simple,

I won't comment on Italian grammar, since I know hardly anything
about it, but...

> though not as simple as English (whose grammar is virtually
> non-existent),

... this is a wide-spread belief and--excuse me--pure rubbish.
I have _A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language_ by Quirk
et al. sitting here, which explains the "non-existent" intricacies
of English grammar on nearly 1800 pages. And it's probably not
exhaustive.

For many linguistically naive people, the simplicity of a language's
grammar seems to hinge on the degree of inflection. Having a few
noun cases, adjective/noun agreements, and a few verb conjugations
does not make for an objectively(!) difficult grammar. English has
the same complexity, it's just expressed differently. Once you get
beyond the basic level of "me Tarzan, you Jane", English syntax
becomes fiendishly difficult.

-- 
Christian "naddy" Weisgerber                  naddy@mips.rhein-neckar.de



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