Hate to be a nit-picker, but...
*pulls out linguistics degree, puts on head*
English and German forked about the same time. The subjunctive form that's needed traces to the Old English (circa AD1000) weran, and the proper conjugation was w[ae]re. {[ae] is collapsed to a single character called an ash, sounds like c[a]t.)
Though you're right, the 'were's aren't the same word - English had three different 'to be' verbs at one point.
Nice theory. But I know for a fact, the school system i came up through didn't teach the subjunctive per se, and that verbs in 'if' clauses followed normal agreement rules
Slashdot Mirror
Hate to be a nit-picker, but ...
*pulls out linguistics degree, puts on head*
English and German forked about the same time. The subjunctive form that's needed traces to the Old English (circa AD1000) weran, and the proper conjugation was w[ae]re. {[ae] is collapsed to a single character called an ash, sounds like c[a]t.)
Though you're right, the 'were's aren't the same word - English had three different 'to be' verbs at one point.
Nice theory. But I know for a fact, the school system i came up through didn't teach the subjunctive per se, and that verbs in 'if' clauses followed normal agreement rules