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Chapter 21

           ButIdon’tnow.Istillreaditalittle?becauseIprefertoreadthewordsoftheProphetintheoriginal."

           "Proper.SincetheKorancannotbetranslatedthe‘map’changesontranslationnomatterhowcarefullyonetries.Youwillunderstand,then,howdifficultIfoundEnglish.Itwasnotalonethatmynativelanguagehasmuchsimplerinflectionsandmorelimitedtenses;thewhole‘map’changed.Englishisthelargestofthehumantongues,withseveraltimesthevocabularyofthesecondlargestlanguagethisalonemadeitinevitablethatEnglishwouldeventuallybecome,asitdid,thelinguafrancaofthisplanet,foritistherebytherichestandthemostflexibledespiteitsbarbaricaccretions?or,Ishouldsay,becauseofitsbarbaricaccretions.Englishswallowsupanythingthatcomesitsway,makesEnglishoutofit.Nobodytriedtostopthisprocess,thewaysomelanguagesarepolicedandhaveofficiallimits?probablybecausethereneverhasbeen,truly,suchathingas‘theKing’sEnglish’for‘theKing’sEnglish’wasFrench.Englishwasintruthabastardtongueandnobodycaredhowitgrew?anditdid!enormously.Untilnoonecouldhopetobeaneducatedmanunlesshedidhisbesttoembracethismonster.

           "Itsveryvariety,subtlety,andutterlyirrational,idiomaticcomplexitymakesitpossibletosaythingsinEnglishwhichsimplycannotbesaidinanyotherlanguage.Italmostdrovemecrazy?untilIlearnedtothinkinitandthatputanew‘map’oftheworldontopoftheoneIgrewupwith.

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