Tullyandy

'Kecks'? I've never heard of the word.

Chrysoloras

As has been stated before in this thread languages can change quickly (in historical terms). I would also add that we shouldn't change a situation in the past by applying modern standards. Today languages tend to be fairly uniform across fairly large areas. However that is only because of state school systems and mass media. In the past these were absent and linguistic gradients were much steeper with geographic distance. So just because they started from areas close by it doesn't mean that they would speak the same language to begin with.

viking

As I pointed out earlier, not only does language change over time but according to need. I carefully mentioned New Guinea as an example of this happening. New Guinea has bewildering number of totally different languages and for people to communicate they evolved a new language--pigeon English. To the average English speaker it is at first incomprehensible although it is based on English. When two languages meet the first thing is to agree on words for vital objects. That and sign language is the foundation. Within a short time the two languages begin to merge, often through well used phrases. In WWll my father came back from the Far East and had adopted a new word in the short time he was there, "Jildy" which as far as I know means hurry up. I also cited WWl where phrases became standard such as San fairy Ann. It was the nearest a Tommy could get to
Ca ne fait rien. In London the influx of Yiddish speaking Jews in the ninteenth century brought quite a few new words into the Cockney language such as shiv for a knife. Then of course are the malapropisms. An Italian lady who talked of her self phone. It actually makes sense if you think about it. So it could quite easily become an adopted word.

Byrdsjanuary1954

I don't know how much this adds to the thread, but my grandmother came from the town of Marne in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. She lived on the Jutland Peninsula and was basically in an area where the territories of the Angles, Saxons, and Frisians intersected. I believe the Jutes came from further north. Anyway, she spoke a German dialect called Plattdeutsch, which is a combination of Low German, Frisian and even a little south Dane in it. She always said she could basically communicate with both the Frisian Dutch and the Danes, but had trouble with East Germans. Plattdeutsch is very, very close to Anglo-Saxon. I believe only true Frisian is closer. I have a feeling that the Anglo-Saxons probably were able to communicate easier with the Danes than the Norse. My grandmother could.

Cerdic

That put me in mind of my Grandfather, who was a Dalesman. He used to say that a dalesman could communicate with a dutchman - I always assumed this was to do with the connection with Frisia. This was a hundred years ago though, so not sure it still holds true!

beorna

the problem with modern english is, that it has a high rate of latin, french and greek words. of course the other germanic languages have lots of latin and greek expressions too, but in a lower percentage. if one would use original anglo-saxon terms, it would be easier.