--- In Nostratica@yahoogroups.com, "Gerry <waluk@...>" <waluk@...>
wrote:

> > > Now
> > >about Tajik, is it a variety of Modern Persian or an individual
> > >language family?
> >
> > It's certainly not a language _family_.
>
> Change the word family to group.

And change the word 'language' to 'dialect'. There's a discussion of
the topic, with further links, at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/14031
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/14036
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/14037
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist/message/14050

> > >> It is not true to say that Welsh is
> > >> spoken in the south of England and
> > >> English is spoken in the north.

> Yep. One needs to be a member of the family to understand the
> nuances. But I'll bet that there are a few Welsh speakers living

in

> London.

I'm not sure there's much of a Welsh-speaking Welsh community in
London, but I await correction. I don't think the cable TV companies
offer the Welsh-language TV channel, S4C (Sianel Pedwar Cymru) -
http://www.s4c.co.uk/abouts4c/corporate/c_index.shtml . I wonder
what language the rugby club called 'London Welsh' uses.

There has traditionally been a strong Welsh contingent at Jesus
College, Oxford. However, since Monmouthshire (now called Gwent) was
ceded to Wales (in the late 20th Century), I don't believe there have
been any significant, permanently settled communities of Welsh
speakers in England.

As to what languages are spoken in England, take a look at the data
at http://www.rosettaproject.org . Some of the Indian languages are
locally significant.

Richard.