Any linguists on SD?
I just finished an introductory linguistics class, it was very interesting if not very difficult. 
Syntax, morphology, phonology, etc. it was all fascinating to observe in English.
I barely understood English morphology, so I can't imagine trying to decipher Spanish morphology.
Any linguists around here? Comments?
8 Answers
it's all greek to me... (pun intended) 
I am as good in linguistics as in calculus
Spanish is very awesome linguistically. I have some linguistics background, and I find Spanish has a much more clear and consistent structure in many ways: Verb conjugation, sentence structure, pronunciation, and so on. Because there are relatively few irregular verbs, it's easier to see patterns and speculate on how they formed that way. A linguist friend once explained to me how some of the Spanish irregular verbs evolved, and it was really interesting.
I've also been studying how Spanish poetry is different from English poetry. Primarily through song lyrics, like those of José Alfredo Jimenéz. Because it's so easy to make things rhyme in Spanish, I've noticed a lot of poetry finds other ways of playing with the language.
I was just thinking morphologically. If 'peor' derives from Latin 'pelor' and 'peyorar' from 'pelor?re', why is the l in the former dropped and in the latter converted to a y ?
The problem with linguistic classes is that they teach you like a textbook - with tons of difficult words that don't help you at all. By instinct, you already know English morphology. It is your first language and you can tell what sounds wrong just by hearing it. You know that: "I is good." is improper English. By no means am I a linguist, but Spanish morphology, phonology, etc. actually is not that difficult. The best way is to forget about trying to know exactly how to say something and say what you know what to say.
Once you are advanced enough in Spanish, you start to see how things are formed more quickly. The phonology of Spanish is quite simplified to compared to English. It's because there aren't as many vowel sounds. English can have four to even six sounds for the letter "a" while Spanish only has one. (unless it is combined with another vowel. That is called a dipthong) So I guess I have read a lot of linguistics, and I could continue rambling on about it, but just don't worry too much about morphology if you want to save time and sanity.
You will find out about the etomology of peor here. The Real Academia Española (abbreviated RAE) is the most authoritative source for Spanish words.
You will find the morphology of Spanish a cinch compared to English. As a matter of fact, as Der Krby has pointed out, the English (especially American) language has one of the most complex vowel system of any language spoken today. 
And, as Ken pointed out, Lazarus is our chief linguistic expert. However, there are several other members who are quite distinguished in comparative linguistics. 
Enjoy your linguistic explorations and buena suerte
Any linguists on SD?
lin·guist/?liNGgwist/Noun: 1.A person skilled in foreign languages. 2.A person who studies linguistics.
For my part - not yet silent hero. And I see that the definition has "languages" plural in it. But I imagine that to study linguistics would be very interesting.
I might declare myself to be "linguist in nappies" :(
Cunning ones, or just normal?
