LINGUIST List 15.181

Mon Jan 19 2004

Disc: Re: Declining use--inflected forms in English

Editor for this issue: Sarah Murray <sarahlinguistlist.org>

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1. yishaibgumail.bgu.ac.il>, Re: 15.117, Disc: New: Declining use--inflected forms in English
2. Rajendran C, Re: 15.117, Disc: New: Declining use--inflected forms in English

Message 1: Re: 15.117, Disc: New: Declining use--inflected forms in English

The distribution of the alternative -er/-est vs. more/,iost
constructions pointed out here is not new and a semantic distinction
has been postulated and analysed. See:

Tobin, Yishai. 1990. Semiotics and Linguistics. London: Longman
(chap. 7)


Yishai Tobin

Message 2: Re: 15.117, Disc: New: Declining use--inflected forms in English

We all do feel nostalgiasc about the good old English [and other
languages too] which we had learned with great love and care . I speak
Malayalam-a Dravidian language of great literary tradfition. But I
find many fascinating forms [I am not speaking of inflected forms as
such]have now practically disappeared from daily use. Speaking about
English, it is becoming more and more analytical and all the inflected
forms, including even those related to pronous may face extinction in
the not so distant future.. It is literature -the great classics-
which guarantees some continuity and permanance of the charm of old
language-but who cares for classics anyway? I shall be happy if I am
proven wrong!


C.Rajendran
Professor of Sanskrit
University of Calicut