Incomplete answer off the top of my head: pretension would be harder, due to the lack of latinate words. Perhaps non verbal cues would have to pick up the slack.
thnk t wld b vr dffclt t cmmnct, bcs f w hd n vwls, ths wrds wld nt mk n sns t ll. f crs, lngg wld hv vlvd qt dffrntl, s tht s m sd, thr cs wld hv t sffc. prnctn wld f crs b qt dffrnt, nd prblb tht wld hv sgnfcnt mpct n nflctn n spch. s rslt, pp cltr wld b t lst smwht dffrnt thn w knw t, bcs mn phrss nd xprssns wld nt mk th sm sns. th mplctns r ndlss nd mnd-bgglng, s crntly hp tht thrs mr stt thn mslf tk crck t ths trblsm qstn.
Actually, I think we'd get used to it in writing. I could, with difficulty, read what Thomas said. I'm sure we've all seen examples of that psychological study where people can read passages where all but the first and last letter of each word had been changed.
I think pronunciation would be the biggest difficulty, and doesn't the English-speaking world have enough trouble with that? I can't imagine how much more difficult it would be if we had to wing the sounds between consonants.
And P.S., Em, I know some pretentious Anglo-Saxon afficionados.
4 comments:
Incomplete answer off the top of my head: pretension would be harder, due to the lack of latinate words. Perhaps non verbal cues would have to pick up the slack.
thnk t wld b vr dffclt t cmmnct, bcs f w hd n vwls, ths wrds wld nt mk n sns t ll. f crs, lngg wld hv vlvd qt dffrntl, s tht s m sd, thr cs wld hv t sffc. prnctn wld f crs b qt dffrnt, nd prblb tht wld hv sgnfcnt mpct n nflctn n spch. s rslt, pp cltr wld b t lst smwht dffrnt thn w knw t, bcs mn phrss nd xprssns wld nt mk th sm sns. th mplctns r ndlss nd mnd-bgglng, s crntly hp tht thrs mr stt thn mslf tk crck t ths trblsm qstn.
Actually, I think we'd get used to it in writing. I could, with difficulty, read what Thomas said. I'm sure we've all seen examples of that psychological study where people can read passages where all but the first and last letter of each word had been changed.
I think pronunciation would be the biggest difficulty, and doesn't the English-speaking world have enough trouble with that? I can't imagine how much more difficult it would be if we had to wing the sounds between consonants.
And P.S., Em, I know some pretentious Anglo-Saxon afficionados.
Thank you all for your help. Yes, sometimes the strangest thoughts enter one's head while commuting.
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