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From: Ruud Harmsen <rh@rudhar.com>
Newsgroups: alt.usage.english,sci.lang
Subject: Re: Somewheres
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2024 08:11:57 +0200
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Mon, 23 Sep 2024 09:48:56 +1000: Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
scribeva:

>On 22/09/24 23:37, Ruud Harmsen wrote:
>> Sat, 14 Sep 2024 15:57:14 -0000 (UTC): Christian Weisgerber
>> <naddy@mips.inka.de> 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