Re: [tied] To be or not to be a linguist

For an interesting discussion of Saxon presence in Romano-Celtic Britain before the fifth century, see:

http://www.english.uga.edu/~mathelie/mathii2.html
http://www.english.uga.edu/~mathelie/mathii3.html

This doesn't change the fact that the English _language_ was introduced by immigrants from the continent, whatever the historical circumstances. Even if the traditional conquest scenario is superseded by one according to which massive peaceful acculturation of native Britons was the chief mechanism the "Anglo-Saxonisation" of the country, nobody to my knowledge claims that Britain is the Germanic homeland :))

Piotr

----- Original Message -----
From: Richard Wordingham
To: cybalist@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 3:47 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] To be or not to be a linguist


--- In cybalist@..., Piotr Gasiorowski <piotr.gasiorowski@...>
wrote:

> Incidentally, the linguistic ancestors of the English were some
West Germanic barbarians with a penchant for opportunistic piracy --
nothing particularly impressive, but evidently one can live with such
a family history. At any rate, no-one questions the theory that Proto-
English was brought to Britain from the continent.

The timing has been questioned by a serious, respected historian! I
have seen that the suggestion that the Saxons, at least, were in
England before the Romans. This has been advanced as the real reason
for the East coast of Roman Britain being called the 'Saxon Shore'!
(I believe I read the suggestion in the Oxford History of England,
published by the OUP.)

Richard.


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