XPost: alt.usage.english   
   From: rh@rudhar.com   
      
   Mon, 23 Sep 2024 09:48:56 +1000: Peter Moylan    
   scribeva:   
      
   >On 22/09/24 23:37, Ruud Harmsen wrote:   
   >> Sat, 14 Sep 2024 15:57:14 -0000 (UTC): Christian Weisgerber   
   >>  scribeva:   
   >>   
   >>> I'm a bit sensitive to this because Italian and Spanish are   
   >>> pro-drop languages, i.e., they omit the subject pronoun, except for   
   >>> emphasis or disambiguation.  Spanish in particular does not   
   >>> distinguish 1SG and 3SG in the imperfect, conditional, present   
   >>> subjunctive, or imperfect subjunctive, and Spanish speakers seem to   
   >>> feel little need to inject pronouns for disambiguation, which can   
   >>> be disorienting to language learners.   
   >>   
   >> Portuguese does, digo eu.   
   >   
   >Irish is intermediate in this respect. First person pronouns are rarely   
   >needed, because the verb endings are distinctive. In second and third   
   >person the verb endings don't help, so pronouns are essential.   
   >   
   >I imagine there was a time long ago when it was a pro-drop language, but   
   >then gradually the verb endings were eroded down into a simpler system.   
   >   
   >In the Germanic languages, including English, the erosion has gone a lot   
   >further.   
      
   Et le français aussi.   
   --   
   Ruud Harmsen, https://rudhar.com   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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