[ClearCase_guy]

French is a Romance language, derived from Latin. Modern English is a blend of Anglo-Saxon and French and is still considered a Germanic language, not a Romance Language.

I can't say for sure, but I've heard that Winston Churchill's soundbite "We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them in the fields, we shall fight them in the hills. We shall never surrender." Is composed 100% of words derived from Anglo-Saxon -- with one exception: surrender is derived from French.

[RobbyS]

!!th century French is still a lot more Latin than like modern French. I imagine that Chaucer probably could have made out the meaning of 11th century English writings about as well as can make out his writings. About the French, I am going by ancient memory, but I was able to make out the meaning of the passage by using my high school Latin. The syntax was very different, and of course there were lots of words now in French that must have come from the Franks/the Celts. But, its was still “Latin” of a very corrupt and barbarous form.