English is a Germanic language, and yet about ¼ of its words have been imported from France, thanks to William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings. (1066! 1066!) Almost ½ of English seems to come from a bunch of other languages. Or as James D. Nicoll said,
The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.
Gallagher Explains Pronunciation (The New Smothers Brothers)
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Don’t Call the Grammar Police!
[9:38]
English is flexible: you can jam it into a Cuisinart for an hour, remove it, and meaning will still emerge.
— Douglas Coupland
Four Ways American English is Pretty Weird
[9:40]
Writing in English is like throwing mud at a wall.
— Joseph Conrad
Foreign Words We Need in English
[7:16]
There is no such thing as the Queen’s English. The property has gone into the hands of a joint stock company and we own the bulk of the shares!
— Mark Twain
Ten Reasons English is Ridiculously Hard
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