Sinc 5

• For practical reasons, examples are drawn from only two Germanic languages: English and German
• The general conclusions drawn on the basis of the comparison of English and German also apply, by extrapolation, to the other Germanic languages
• Mutual intelligibility


  Varieties which are mutually intelligible are dialects of the same language; varieties which are not mutually intelligible are languages
• English and German are not mutually intelligible, hence, they are different languages
• Structural similarity


  Varieties which are structurally similar are dialects of the same language; varieties which are structurally different are languages
• Linguistic criteria


  • Mutual intelligibility
  • Structural similarity
• Non-linguistic (or extra-linguistic) criteria


  • Long tradition of use in literature
  • Prestige
  • Different national identities
• English and German should be regarded as being different languages
• English and German exhibit significant differences at all levels – i.e. phonology, morphology, syntax and the vocabulary
• English and German: long tradition of use in literature
• English and German: enjoy prestige
• Speakers of English and German: different national identities, i.e. they identify themselves with different countries, different nations, etc.
• English and German are different languages, rather than different dialects of the same language
• Basic vocabulary


  Includes a.o. names of basic body parts; names of basic degrees of kinship; personal pronouns; basic adjectives; names of basic colours; cardinal numbers from 1 to 10; basic verbs
• Non-basic vocabulary


  It consists of cultural, technical, scientific terms
• The basic vocabulary: less likely to be borrowed vs. the non-basic vocabulary: frequently borrowed
• English and German: lexical items which are similar in form and meaning are part of the basic vocabulary
• Ablaut or apophony


  Change of the root vowel to obtain various forms in the paradigm of a word
• Suppletion


  Use of different roots for the different forms in the paradigm of a word
• English and German display significant similarities, in the basic vocabulary, in the regular morphology, in the irregular morphology, and even in suppletive forms
• Comparative linguistics must provide answers to both these questions