On the origin of language ...

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by kladner

Thanks for the link, and the lead. I happened onto #116: The Celtic Fringe,

It is best to start with episode 1

[kladner]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

It is best to start with episode 1

For sure. However, I could not have chanced on a better sample to get hooked on the whole. Chance it was, too. #116 came up at the top when I first clicked the link.

[Nick]

This Wednesday, Dutch Low Saxon will become an official part of the Dutch language!

[kladner]

Originally Posted by Nick

This Wednesday, Dutch Low Saxon will become an official part of the Dutch language!

Fascinating Wiki. Thanks, Nick.

[moebius]

Originally Posted by Brian-E

Dutch vocabulary is closer to English, I would say. But grammar and sentence structure is closer to German.

You're right. As a German with English skills, I can decode 99% of a dutch text.
However, I understand only about 50 % of a text in a danish newspaper.

Danish, Norwegian and Swedish is one of the northern germanic languages.
English, German and Dutch belongs to the west germanic languages.

[Uncwilly]

Originally Posted by moebius

Danish, Norwegian and Swedish is one of the northern germanic languages.

Norwegians can understand Swedish (sounds to them like a far north variant). They can understand the Danes (sounds like the speaker has a bit of potatoe stuck in their throat). Swedes and Danes have great difficulty understanding Norwegians (at best) and essentially can't understand each other.
[I have heard this from multiple independent sources.]

[Mark Rose]

Originally Posted by Uncwilly

Norwegians can understand Swedish (sounds to them like a far north variant). They can understand the Danes (sounds like the speaker has a bit of potatoe stuck in their throat). Swedes and Danes have great difficulty understanding Norwegians (at best) and essentially can't understand each other.
[I have heard this from multiple independent sources.]

Danes don't even understand themselves