--- In
cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "wtsdv" <liberty@...> wrote:
> --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Wordingham"
> <richard.wordingham@...> wrote:
> > --- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "wtsdv" <liberty@...> wrote:
> > > He has
> > > even written recently of "a dialectical continuum of
> > > Prakr.t, Siamese (Laua) and Tamir.. speakers, it appears
> > > that the concordant parole was: milakkha" (See http://
> > > groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianCivilization/message/47505).
> > > In what world do Prakrit, Siamese and Tamil form a
> > > "dialectical contiuum"?
> >
> > Royal courts? "Rachasap" to use the Thai word (rajas'apta in
> > Sanskrit?) has an enormous amount of Pali in it. Lawa is an
> > Austroasiatic language, whereas Siamese is Tai-Kadai (a.k.a.
Daic),
> > possibly as closely related to Lawa as Tamil is to Greek.
>
> So am I to understand that the members of a dialect
> continuum need not be dialects of the same language?!
> How does that work?
I can't make any confident statements about the language of royal
courts, as I do not know that language variety in any of the relevant
languages. Continuum might also be an exaggeration - I do not know
how many provincial rulers would have had such language employed of
them.
A more modern example is technical literature. I would have no
confidence trying to read an Italian newspaper, but I am happy to try
to read an account of why one computer program cannot be ported from
one operating system to another. Similarly, I could not follow a
normal discussion in Romanian, but that did not stop me from
consulting a Mathematics textbook written in Romanian.
> Can you also now explain to me
> what "the concordant parole" of such a continuum would
> be?
I think an anecdote I read in one of the Thai English language
dailies is in order here. The Chinese hosted a meeting of countries
from the Mekong basin, including Thailand. The Chinese laid on
translators, including translators who spoke excellent classical Thai
(whatever that is). The translators were, however, stumped when it
came to translating the words of the Thai delegation. They were
completely thrown by 'Thai' phrases such as 'North-South dialogue'.
The translators simply didn't know 'Phasa Inter' as the Thais termed
it. (_phasa_ (< Sanskrit _bhasa_) 'language', _inter_ < English
_international_).
The concordant parole, if it exists, would indeed be a strange
speech - it would probably lack conjunctions!
My *suggestion* was the only one I could think of to rescue the
concept of this strange dialect continuum. Clearly I should have
added a smiley to my question mark. I was answering the final
question, 'In what world do Prakrit, Siamese and Tamil form
a "dialectical contiuum"?'. I am not suggesting that 'rachasap' has
anything to do with 'Milakkha'.
In case S. Kalyanaram (is there no informal name we can use?) is
referring to some similar layer of 'international vocabulary', is
there better terminology one can use for it and its development
before the vocabulary drops into the level of normal vocabulary?
Richard.