Australian/NZ accent

[Las Naranjas]

Especially since when we invent words we tend to create them out of latin and greek words.

But the most widely used words, are all Anglo Saxon [the Angles and Saxons being Germanic tribes].

And most importantly the syntax of the language is derived from Germanic sources. The most easily recognisable example being the fact that where the Romantic Languages go noun-agective [Rosa blanca, moulin rouge etc.] We go agective-noun, [white rose, red windmill].

On a slightly derivative note it's interesting to see the way English speakers call animals, and the meat from said animals. Although we get Chicken from Chickens, we get beef from cows, pork, bacon and ham from pigs, mutton from sheep, veal from deer etc.

The reason being that after the Norman conquest the anglo saxon peasants would see, say, the sheep whilst it was alive, since they brought it up. But the Norman lord, who spoke a mongrel French, would call it Mouton, which still meant sheep, but would transform into the word Mutton, which is now the word for sheep meat.

It's just a little snapshot into the relation between the Anglo Saxon and Romantic portions of the language.

[SSH]

veal from deer

Ignoramus! Venison is from deer. Veal is from tortured, anaemic calves.

I hear that Shrek the sheep gets sheared today. What an exciting life those New Zealanders live, when this is their first international news story since the RotK premiere.

[Las Naranjas]

Yep, that was a mix up because I wasn't thinking properly.

Now watch me corageously not edit that mistake out.

[Esseb]

What I was wondering was how different are languages like, Spanish, Mexican & Portuguese?

or Swedish, Finnish & Norwegian?

are they completely different, or can you understand certain things without having to learn a whole new language?

Norwegian, Swedish and Danish could be thought of as three separate dialects, and some linguists actually do. We all spoke the same language a thousand years ago or so anyway. Besides the few hundred or thousand words that are different we can understand each other without much trouble, and since our countries are so small and we're exposed to the other languages almost daily even those words don't pose a problem. The only real problem between all of us understanding each other is the bizarre Danish pronounciation.

Finnish however, which is a subfamily of the Uralic languages, has nothing in common with the Scandinavian languages.

[[Cameron]]

*ahem* Back to the Australian accent.
*gives the evil eye to every one who spoke of any other accents*
I think there are varying levels of the australian accent. In levels of 1.Country 2.Urban 3.City.
I have urban which is a mic of slang and proper like speaky blah.  
Countryt has more slang and sounds like the poeple who ham up the accent. City is uptight wankers who speak proper and make love to their Mercs.

[TheYak]

It must be the Aussie accent poking through because I didn't understand what the bloody hell half that meant.

[[Cameron]]

Im not to sure either!

Okay try again.
In movies where actors who are not australian do a fake over the top accent, thats what people living in the bush(not a single one) sound like, and they use slang frequently. Urban is half country half city, their accent is less audible than country, but it surfaces sometimes. City speaks with no accent at all as they practice sound less blokey because all the men are tossers... who make love to their Mercedes Benz.  Better?

[TheYak]

Ever so much better.  I can claim to have understood at least half of it this time.  Really, I got what you were saying from the first post - it was just muddled enough to hurt me badly somewhere in my brain.