Re: sum

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, "tgpedersen" <tgpedersen@...>
wrote:

> Illustration:
> In today's English, some people inflect
> am
> are
> is
>
> are
> are
> are
>
> In several colonial English Pidgins, they inflect
> is
> is
> is
>
> is
> is
> is
>
> These Pidgins arose during the British Empire which was led by

Queen

> Victoria.
> Now how did Queen Victoria inflect this verb, in her proto-Pidgin
> English language? Well obviously all these completely identical
> Pidgin paradigms cannot have arisen indepedently on several
> continents, and the irregular am, are, is paradigm I mentioned is
> documented in only one language, namely present British English.

It

> is therefore very easy to reconstruct Queen Victoria's inflection
> of 'to be'; it was
> I is
> you is
> he is
>
> we is
> you is
> they is
>
> Impeccable linguistics.

You don't mean this, do you?

Jens