In Depth
See Also

Germanic languages

The Germanic languages are a group of related languages constituting a branch of the Indo-European language family Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages comprise a family [i] of several hundred language [i]s and ... 

. The common ancestor of all languages comprising this branch is Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic language

Proto-Germanic is the common ancestor of all Germanic languages [i]. ... 

, spoken in approximately the latter mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age Northern Europe Pre-Roman Iron Age

The Pre-Roman Iron Age designates the earliest part of the Iron Age [i] in Scandinavia [i], the Netherl ... 

. Proto-Germanic, along with all of its descendants, is characterized by a number of unique linguistic features, most famously the consonant change known as Grimm's law. Early Germanic varieties enter history with the Germanic peoples Germanic peoples

The Germanic peoples are groups of people identified by their use of the Germanic languages [i] that are ... 

 who settled in northern Europe along the borders of the Roman Empire Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman [i] civilization characterized by an autocratic [i] ... 

 from the 2nd century.

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Encyclopedia

The Germanic languages are a group of related languages constituting a branch of the Indo-European language family Indo-European languages

The Indo-European languages comprise a family [i] of several hundred language [i]s and ... 

. The common ancestor of all languages comprising this branch is Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic language

Proto-Germanic is the common ancestor of all Germanic languages [i]. ... 

, spoken in approximately the latter mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age Northern Europe Pre-Roman Iron Age

The Pre-Roman Iron Age designates the earliest part of the Iron Age [i] in Scandinavia [i], the Netherl ... 

. Proto-Germanic, along with all of its descendants, is characterized by a number of unique linguistic features, most famously the consonant change known as Grimm's law. Early Germanic varieties enter history with the Germanic peoples Germanic peoples

The Germanic peoples are groups of people identified by their use of the Germanic languages [i] that are ... 

 who settled in northern Europe along the borders of the Roman Empire Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman [i] civilization characterized by an autocratic [i] ... 

 from the 2nd century.

The largest Germanic languages are English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

 and German German language

German is a West Germanic language [i]. ... 

, with approximately 380 and 120 million native speakers respectively. The group consists of other notable languages, such as Dutch Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

 with 22 and Afrikaans Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a Low Franconian language [i] mainly spoken in South Africa [i] an ... 

 with 16 million speakers; and the Scandinavian languages North Germanic languages

The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages [i], a sub-fami ... 

 including Danish Danish language

Danish is one of the North Germanic languages [i] , a sub-group of the Germanic [i] ... 

, Norwegian Norwegian language

Norwegian is a Germanic language [i] spoken in Norway [i]. ... 

 and Swedish Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language [i] spoken predominantly in Sweden [i] a ... 

 with a combined total of about 20 million speakers. The SIL Ethnologue lists 53 different Germanic languages and dialects.

Characteristics

Germanic languages possess several unique features, such as the following:
  1. The leveling of the IE tense and aspect system into the present tense and past tense .
  2. The use of a dental suffix instead of vowel Vowel

    In phonetics [i], a vowel is a sound [i] in spoken language [i] that is characterized by an open configu ... 

     alternation to indicate past tense. See Germanic weak verb.
  3. The presence of two distinct types of verb conjugation: weak  and strong . English has 161 strong verbs; almost all are of Germanic origin. See: Germanic strong verb.
  4. The use of strong and weak adjectives. Modern English adjectives don't change except for comparative and superlative; this was not the case in Old English Old English language

    Old English is an early form of the English language [i] that was spoken in parts of what is now England [i] ... 

    , where adjectives were inflected differently depending on whether they were preceded by an article or demonstrative.
  5. The consonant shift known as Grimm's Law.
  6. A number of words with etymologies that are difficult to link to other Indo-European families, but variants of which appear in almost all Germanic languages. See Germanic substrate hypothesis.
  7. The shifting of stress accent onto the root of the stem and later to the first syllable of the word. Though English has an irregular stress, native words always have a fixed stress regardless of what's added to them. This is arguably the most important change.


Germanic languages differ from each other to a greater degree than do some other language families Language family

A language family is a group of genetically related language [i]s said to have descended from a common proto-language [i] ... 

 such as the Romance Romance languages

The Romance languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family [i], ... 

 or Slavic languages Slavic languages

The Slavic languages , a group of closely related language [i]s of the Slavic peoples [i] and a subgroup ... 

. Roughly speaking, Germanic languages differ in how conservative or how progressive each language is with respect to an overall trend towards analycity. Some, like German German language

German is a West Germanic language [i]. ... 

, Dutch Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

  and Icelandic, have preserved much of the complex inflectional morphology inherited from the Proto-Indo-European language. Others, like English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

, Swedish Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language [i] spoken predominantly in Sweden [i] a ... 

 and Afrikaans Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a Low Franconian language [i] mainly spoken in South Africa [i] an ... 

 have moved towards a largely analytic type.

Another characteristic of Germanic languages is verb second or V2 word order, which is quite uncommon cross-linguistically. This feature is shared by all Germanic languages except English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

, which has largely replaced the structure with an overall SVO structure.

Most Germanic languages have fairly complex vowel systems with a large phoneme inventory.

Writing

The earliest evidence of Germanic comes from names recorded in the 1st century by Tacitus Tacitus

Publius Cornelius Tacitus is one of the important historian [i]s of Roman Antiquity [i]. ... 

, and in a single instance in the 2nd century BC, on the Negau helmet Negau helmet

Negau helmet refers to one of 28 bronze helmet [i]s dating to ca. ... 

.
From roughly the 2nd century AD, certain speakers of early Germanic varieties developed the Elder Futhark Elder Futhark

The Elder Futhark is the oldest form of the runic alphabet [i], used by Germanic tribes [i] for Proto-Norse [i] ... 

, an early form of the runic alphabet Runic alphabet

The Runic alphabets are a set of related alphabet [i]s using letters, formerly used to write Germanic languages [i] ... 

. Early runic inscriptions are also largely limited to personal names, and difficult to interpret. The Gothic language Gothic language

The Gothic language is an extinct [i] Germanic language [i] that was spoken by the Goths [i] ... 

 was written in the Gothic alphabet Gothic alphabet

The Gothic alphabet is an alphabetic writing system attributed by Philostorgius [i] to Wulfila [i] ... 

 developed by Bishop Ulfilas Ulfilas

Ulfilas or Wulfila , bishop [i], missionary [i], and translator [i], was a Goth [i] or half ... 

 for his translation of the Bible Bible

The Bible , is the name used by Jews [i] and Christians [i] for their differing canons [i]... 

 in the 4th century 4th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i], the 4th century was that century [i] which lasted from ... 

. Later, Christian Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic [i] religion [i] centered on Jesus of Nazareth [i] ... 

 priests and monks who spoke and read Latin Latin

Latin is an ancient Indo-European language [i] originally spoken in Latium [i], ... 

 in addition to their native Germanic varieties began writing the Germanic languages with slightly modified Latin letters. However, throughout the Viking Age Viking Age

The Viking Age is the name of the period between 793 [i] and 1066 [i] AD in Scandinavia [i] and England [i]... 

, runic alphabet Runic alphabet

The Runic alphabets are a set of related alphabet [i]s using letters, formerly used to write Germanic languages [i] ... 

s remained in common use in Scandinavia.

In addition to the standard Latin alphabet Latin alphabet

The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most widely used alphabet [i]ic writing system [i] ... 

, various Germanic languages use a variety of accent marks and extra letters, including umlauts, the ß ß

The glyph [i] is a ligature [i] of ? and s or z that has become a distinct letter [i] ... 

 , IJ, Ø Ø

The "" is a vowel [i] and a letter [i] used in the Danish [i], Faroese [i] ... 

, Æ Æ

is a grapheme [i] formed from the letters a [i] and e [i]. ... 

, Å Å

"", or "", is a letter [i], representing a vowel [i], in the Swedish [i], ... 

, Ð D

The letter D is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet [i]. In English [i], it is pron ... 

, ? Yogh

The letter yogh was used in Middle English [i] and Middle Scots [i], representing y and various velar [i] ... 

, and Þ and ? Wynn

Wynn is a letter of the old English alphabet [i]. ... 

, from runes. Historic printed German German language

German is a West Germanic language [i]. ... 

 is frequently set in blackletter Blackletter

Blackletter, also known as Gothic script, was a script [i] used throughout Western Europe [i] ... 

 typeface Typeface

In typography [i], a typeface consists of a coordinated set [i] of glyph [i]s designed with stylistic un ... 

s .

History




All Germanic languages are thought to be descended from a hypothetical Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic language

Proto-Germanic is the common ancestor of all Germanic languages [i]. ... 

, united by their having been subjected to the sound shifts of Grimm's law and Verner's law. These took place probably during the Pre-Roman Iron Age Pre-Roman Iron Age

The Pre-Roman Iron Age designates the earliest part of the Iron Age [i] in Scandinavia [i], the Netherl ... 

 of Northern Europe from ca. 500 BC, but other common innovations separating Germanic from Proto-Indo European suggest a common history of pre-Proto-Germanic speakers throughout the Nordic Bronze Age Nordic Bronze Age

The Nordic Bronze Age is the name given by Oscar Montelius [i] to a period and a Bronze Age [i] culture [i]... 

.

From the time of their earliest attestation, the Germanic varieties are divided into three groups, West West Germanic languages

The West Germanic languages constitute the largest branch of the Germanic [i] family ... 

, East and North North Germanic languages

The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages [i], a sub-fami ... 

 Germanic. Their exact relation is difficult to determine from the sparse evidence of runic inscriptions, and they remained mutually intelligible throughout the Migration period Migration Period

This is an article on European migrations in the early part of the 1st millennium CE [i]. ... 

, so that some individual varieties are difficult to classify.

The 6th century Lombardic language, for instance, may constitute an originally either North or East Germanic variety that became assimilated to West Germanic as the Lombards settled at the Elbe Elbe

The River Elbe is one of the major waterways of Central Europe [i]. ... 

. The Western group would have formed in the late Jastorf culture Pre-Roman Iron Age

The Pre-Roman Iron Age designates the earliest part of the Iron Age [i] in Scandinavia [i], the Netherl ... 

, the Eastern group may be derived from the 1st century variety of Gotland Gotland

Gotland is a county and province of Sweden [i] and the largest island [i] in the Baltic Sea [i]. ... 

 , leaving southern Sweden Sweden

The Kingdom of Sweden is a Nordic country [i] in Scandinavia [i]. ... 

 as the original location of the Northern group . The earliest coherent Germanic text preserved is the 4th century Gothic Gothic language

The Gothic language is an extinct [i] Germanic language [i] that was spoken by the Goths [i] ... 

  translation of the New Testament New Testament

The New Testament , sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, and sometimes ... 

 by Ulfilas Ulfilas

Ulfilas or Wulfila , bishop [i], missionary [i], and translator [i], was a Goth [i] or half ... 

. Early testimonies of West Germanic are in Old Dutch Old Dutch

Old Dutch is the West Germanic [i] language or dialect group that was spoken and written during the earl ... 

 , Old High German , Old English Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language [i] that was spoken in parts of what is now England [i] ... 

 . North Germanic is only attested in scattered runic inscriptions, as Proto-Norse Proto-Norse language

Proto-Norse, Primitive Norse, Proto-Nordic, Ancient Nordic, Old Scandinavian or ... 

, until it evolves into Old Norse Old Norse

Old Norse is the Germanic language [i] spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia [i] a ... 

 by about 800.
Longer runic inscriptions survive from the 8th 8th century

The 8th century is the period from 701 [i] - 800 [i] in accordance with the Julian calendar [i] in the Christian Era [i]... 

 and 9th 9th century

As a means of recording the passage of time [i] the 9th century was that century [i] that lasted from 801 [i] ... 

 centuries , longer texts in the Latin alphabet survive from the 12th century , and some skaldic poetry held to date back to as early as the 9th century.

By about the 10th century, the varieties had diverged enough to make intercomprehensibility difficult. The linguistic contact of the Viking Viking

The term Viking commonly denotes the ship-borne explorers, traders, and warriors of the Norsemen [i] who ... 

 settlers of the Danelaw Danelaw

The Danelaw is an 11th century name for an area of northern and eastern England [i] under the administr ... 

 with the Anglo-Saxons Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons is a collective term usually used to describe culturally and linguistically related groups ... 

 left traces in the English language, and is suspected to have facilitated the collapse of Old English grammar that resulted in Middle English from the 12th century.

The East Germanic languages were marginalized from the end of the Migration period. The Burgundians, Goths Goths

The Goths were an East Germanic tribe [i] who from the 2nd century [i] settled Scythia [i], Dacia [i] a... 

 and Vandals Vandals

The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe [i] that entered the late Roman Empire [i] during the 5th century [i] ... 

 became linguistically assimilated to their respective neighbors by about the 7th century, with only Crimean Gothic lingering on until the 18th century.

During the early Middle Ages, the West Germanic languages were separated by the insular development of Middle English on one hand, and by the High German consonant shift High German consonant shift

In historical linguistics [i], the High German consonant shift or Second Germanic consonant shift ... 

 on the continent on the other, resulting in Upper German and Low Saxon Low German

Low German is a name for the regional language [i] varieties of the West Germanic languages [i] spoken m ... 

, with graded intermediate Central German Central German

[i] dialects spread from the [[Rhineland]... 

 varieties. By Early modern times, the span had extended into considerable differences, ranging from Highest Alemannic in the South to Northern Low Saxon in the North, and although both extremes are considered German German language

German is a West Germanic language [i]. ... 

, they are hardly mutually intelligible. The southernmost varieties have completed the second sound shift, while the northern varieties remained unaffected by the consonant shift.

The North Germanic languages, on the other hand, remained more unified, with the larger languages largely retaining mutual intelligibility into modern times.

Classification

Note that divisions between subfamilies of Germanic are rarely precisely defined; most form continuous clines, with adjacent varieties being mutually intelligible and more separated ones not.

Diachronic

General Note: The table shows the succession of the significant historical stages of each language , and their approximate groupings in subfamilies . Horizontal sequence within each group does not imply a measure of greater or lesser similarity.
Iron Age Pre-Roman Iron Age

The Pre-Roman Iron Age designates the earliest part of the Iron Age [i] in Scandinavia [i], the Netherl ... 


500 BC–AD 200
Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic language

Proto-Germanic is the common ancestor of all Germanic languages [i]. ... 

East Germanic West Germanic West Germanic languages

The West Germanic languages constitute the largest branch of the Germanic [i] family ... 

North Germanic North Germanic languages

The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages [i], a sub-fami ... 

South Germanic Anglo-Frisian Anglo-Frisian languages

The Anglo-Frisian languages are a group of West Germanic languages [i] consisting of Old English [i] ... 

Migration period Migration Period

This is an article on European migrations in the early part of the 1st millennium CE [i]. ... 


AD 200–700
Gothic Gothic language

The Gothic language is an extinct [i] Germanic language [i] that was spoken by the Goths [i] ... 

,
Lombardic1   Old Frankish Old Saxon Old Frisian Old English Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language [i] that was spoken in parts of what is now England [i] ... 

Proto-Norse Proto-Norse language

Proto-Norse, Primitive Norse, Proto-Nordic, Ancient Nordic, Old Scandinavian or ... 

Vandalic, Burgundian, Old High German
Early Middle Ages Early Middle Ages

The Early Middle Ages are a period in the history of Europe [i] following the fall of the Western Roman Empire [i] ... 


700–1100
  Old Low Franconian Runic Old West Norse Old Norse

Old Norse is the Germanic language [i] spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia [i] a ... 

Runic Old East Norse Old Norse

Old Norse is the Germanic language [i] spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia [i] a ... 

Middle Ages Middle Ages

The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history [i] ... 


1100–1350
  Middle High German Middle Dutch Middle Dutch

Linguistically speaking, Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic [i] ... 

Middle Low German Middle English Old Icelandic Old Norse

Old Norse is the Germanic language [i] spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia [i] a ... 

Old Norwegian Early Old Danish Danish language

Danish is one of the North Germanic languages [i] , a sub-group of the Germanic [i] ... 

Early Old Swedish Old Swedish

Sorry, no overview for this topic 

Early Old Gutnish
Late Middle Ages Middle Ages

The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history [i] ... 

2
1350–1500
  Middle English Early Scots Early Scots

Early Scots [i] describes the emerging literary language of the Northern Middle English [i] ... 

Late Old Icelandic Old Norse

Old Norse is the Germanic language [i] spoken by the inhabitants of Scandinavia [i] a ... 

Old Faroese Faroese language

Faroese , often also spelled Faeroese, is a West Nordic or West Scandinavian language [i] spoken b ... 

Old Norn Middle Norwegian Late Old Danish Danish language

Danish is one of the North Germanic languages [i] , a sub-group of the Germanic [i] ... 

Late Old Swedish Old Swedish

Sorry, no overview for this topic 

Late Old Gutnish
Early Modern Age
1500–1700
Crimean Gothic Early Modern High German Low Franconian varieties Low Franconian languages

Low Franconian is any of several West Germanic [i] language [i]s spoken in the Netherlands [i] ... 

, including Dutch Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

Middle Frisian Early Modern English Middle Scots Icelandic Faroese Faroese language

Faroese , often also spelled Faeroese, is a West Nordic or West Scandinavian language [i] spoken b ... 

Norn Norwegian Norwegian language

Norwegian is a Germanic language [i] spoken in Norway [i]. ... 

Danish Danish language

Danish is one of the North Germanic languages [i] , a sub-group of the Germanic [i] ... 

Swedish Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language [i] spoken predominantly in Sweden [i] a ... 

Gutnish
Modern Age
1700 to present
all extinct High German varieties High German languages

The High German languages are any of the varieties [i] of standard German [i], ... 

Low Saxon varieties Low German

Low German is a name for the regional language [i] varieties of the West Germanic languages [i] spoken m ... 

Frisian varieties Frisian language

Frisian is a Germanic [i] group of closely related languages, spoken by about half a ... 

English varietiesScots Scots language

Scots refers to the Anglic [i] varieties [i] spoken in parts of Scotland [i]. ... 

/Scottish English varieties
extinct3 extinct3


Note 1: There are conflicting opinions on the classification of Lombardic. Contrary to its isolated position in the table above, it has also been classified as close to either Upper German or Old Saxon. See the article on the Lombardic language for more information.

Note 2: Late Middle Ages Middle Ages

The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history [i] ... 

 refers to the post Black Death Black Death

The Black Death, also known as the Black Plague, was a devastating pandemic [i] that first struck ... 

 period. Especially for the language situation in Norway Norway

Insert non-formatted text here
... 

 this event was important.

Note 3: The speakers of Norn were assimilated to speak the Modern Scots varieties Scots language

Scots refers to the Anglic [i] varieties [i] spoken in parts of Scotland [i]. ... 

, and the Gutnish language is today practically a dialect of Swedish.

Contemporary

Mentioned here are only the principal contemporary varieties; individual articles linked to below contain larger family trees. For example, many Low Saxon varieties are discussed on Low Saxon Low German

Low German is a name for the regional language [i] varieties of the West Germanic languages [i] spoken m ... 

 besides just Northern Low Saxon and Plautdietsch. Note: The ] has a varying list.

  • West Germanic languages West Germanic languages

    The West Germanic languages constitute the largest branch of the Germanic [i] family ... 

    • High German languages High German languages

      The High German languages are any of the varieties [i] of standard German [i], ... 

      • standard German German language

        German is a West Germanic language [i]. ... 

      • Central German Central German

        [i] dialects spread from the [[Rhineland]... 

        • East Central German
        • West Central German
          • Luxembourgish
          • Pennsylvania German Pennsylvania German language

            Pennsylvania German, or more commonly Pennsylvania Dutch, and by native speakers Deitsch, is... 

      • Upper German
        • Alemannic German Alemannic German

          Alemannic German is a group of dialect [i]s of the Upper German [i] branch of the Germanic language family [i] ... 

          • Swabian German, including Stuttgart Stuttgart

            Stuttgart [], a city [i] located in southern Germany [i], is the capital of the state of Baden-Wrttemberg [i] ... 

          • Low Alemannic German, including the area of Lake Constance Lake Constance

            Lake Constance or Lake of Constance is a large lake [i] on the Rhine [i] between Germany [i], Switzerland [i] ... 

             and Basel German
            • Alsatian
          • High Alemannic German, including Zürich German Zürich German

            ... 

             and Bernese German
          • Highest Alemannic German, including the Bernese Oberland Bernese Oberland

            The Bernese Oberland is the higher part of the canton of Bern [i], Switzerland [i], in the South of the ... 

             dialects and Walliser German
        • Austro-Bavarian German Austro-Bavarian

          Austro-Bavarian or Bavarian is a major group of Upper German [i] varieties [i]. ... 

          • North Bavarian
          • Middle Bavarian
          • South Bavarian
          • Hutterite German
        • Yiddish
      • Wymysojer
    • Low Franconian Low Franconian languages

      Low Franconian is any of several West Germanic [i] language [i]s spoken in the Netherlands [i] ... 

      • Dutch Dutch language

        Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

        • Brabantic Brabantian

          Brabantian or Brabantic is a dialect of the Dutch language [i] spoken in Noord-Brabant [i] and in th ... 

        • Zealandic Zeelandic

          Zeelandic is a regional language [i] spoken in the Dutch [i] province of Zeeland [i] and on... 

        • West Flemish West Flemish

          [i], and [[France]... 

           / East Flemish East Flemish

          East Flemish is a group of dialects of the Dutch language [i], which is a Low Franconian language [i] ... 

        • Hollandic Hollandic

          Hollandic is, together with Brabantic [i], the most frequently used dialect of the Dutch language [i]. ... 

        • Limburgish Limburgish language

          Limburgish, or Limburgian or Limburgic is a group of Franconian [i] varieties, sp ... 

      • Afrikaans Afrikaans

        Afrikaans is a Low Franconian language [i] mainly spoken in South Africa [i] an ... 

    • Low German Low German

      Low German is a name for the regional language [i] varieties of the West Germanic languages [i] spoken m ... 

      • West Low German
        • Northern Low Saxon
          • East Frisian Low Saxon
        • Westphalian language
        • Eastphalian language
      • East Low German
        • Plautdietsch
    • Anglo-Frisian Anglo-Frisian languages

      The Anglo-Frisian languages are a group of West Germanic languages [i] consisting of Old English [i] ... 

      • Frisian Frisian language

        Frisian is a Germanic [i] group of closely related languages, spoken by about half a ... 

        • North Frisian
        • East Frisian
          • Saterland Frisian
        • West Frisian
      • Anglic
        • English English language

          English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

          . Huge influx of Latin Latin

          Latin is an ancient Indo-European language [i] originally spoken in Latium [i], ... 

          ate vocabulary, mostly via Norman French Norman language

          Norman is a Romance language [i] and one of the Ol languages [i]. ... 

          . See List of dialects of the English language.
        • Scots Scots language

          Scots refers to the Anglic [i] varieties [i] spoken in parts of Scotland [i]. ... 

          , contains huge influx of Latin Latin

          Latin is an ancient Indo-European language [i] originally spoken in Latium [i], ... 

          ate vocabulary, mostly via Norman French Norman language

          Norman is a Romance language [i] and one of the Ol languages [i]. ... 

           and some Scanadinavian influence via Anglo-Danish.
        • Yola
  • North Germanic North Germanic languages

    The North Germanic languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages [i], a sub-fami ... 

    • West Scandinavian
      • Norwegian Norwegian language

        Norwegian is a Germanic language [i] spoken in Norway [i]. ... 

         Norwegian is geneaologically West Scandinavian, but has been heavily influenced by the eastern branch
      • Icelandic
      • Faroese Faroese language

        Faroese , often also spelled Faeroese, is a West Nordic or West Scandinavian language [i] spoken b ... 

      • Norn
    • East Scandinavian
      • Danish Danish language

        Danish is one of the North Germanic languages [i] , a sub-group of the Germanic [i] ... 

      • Swedish Swedish language

        Swedish is a North Germanic language [i] spoken predominantly in Sweden [i] a ... 

        • Finland-Swedish Finland-Swedish

          Finland-Swedish is a general term for the closely related cluster of dialect [i]s of Swedish [i] ... 

      • Old Gutnish


  • Alternative classification of contemporary North Germanic languages
      • Insular Scandinavian
        • Icelandic
        • Faroese Faroese language

          Faroese , often also spelled Faeroese, is a West Nordic or West Scandinavian language [i] spoken b ... 

      • Continental Scandinavian
        • Danish Danish language

          Danish is one of the North Germanic languages [i] , a sub-group of the Germanic [i] ... 

        • Norwegian Norwegian language

          Norwegian is a Germanic language [i] spoken in Norway [i]. ... 

        • Swedish Swedish language

          Swedish is a North Germanic language [i] spoken predominantly in Sweden [i] a ... 



Vocabulary comparison

Several of the terms in the table below have had semantic drift Semantic Drift

Sorry, no overview for this topic 

. For example, the form 'Sterben' and other terms for 'die' are cognate with the English word 'starve'. There is also at least one example of a common borrowing from a Non-Germanic source .
English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

Scots Scots language

Scots refers to the Anglic [i] varieties [i] spoken in parts of Scotland [i]. ... 

Frisian Frisian language

Frisian is a Germanic [i] group of closely related languages, spoken by about half a ... 

Afrikaans Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a Low Franconian language [i] mainly spoken in South Africa [i] an ... 

Dutch Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

Low Saxon Low German

Low German is a name for the regional language [i] varieties of the West Germanic languages [i] spoken m ... 

German German language

German is a West Germanic language [i]. ... 

Gothic Gothic language

The Gothic language is an extinct [i] Germanic language [i] that was spoken by the Goths [i] ... 

Icelandic Faroese Faroese language

Faroese , often also spelled Faeroese, is a West Nordic or West Scandinavian language [i] spoken b ... 

Swedish Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language [i] spoken predominantly in Sweden [i] a ... 

Danish Danish language

Danish is one of the North Germanic languages [i] , a sub-group of the Germanic [i] ... 

Norwegian Norwegian language

Norwegian is a Germanic language [i] spoken in Norway [i]. ... 

Norwegian Norwegian language

Norwegian is a Germanic language [i] spoken in Norway [i]. ... 

Apple Aiple Appel Appel Appel Appel Apfel Aplus Epli Epl Äpple Æble Eple Eple
Board Buird Board Bord Bord Boord Brett Baúrd Borð Borð Bord Bræt Bord Bord
Beech Beech Boeke/ Boekebeam Beuk Beuk Böke Buche Boka / -bagms Bók Bók Bok Bøg Bøk Bøk, Bok
Book Beuk Boek Boek Boek Book Buch Boka Bók Bók Bok Bog Bok Bok
Breast Breest Boarst Bors Borst Bost Brust Brusts Brjóst Bróst Bröst Bryst Bryst Brjost
Brown Broun Brún Bruin Bruin Bruun Braun Bruns Brúnn Brúnur Brun Brun Brun Brun
Day Day Dei Dag Dag Dag Tag Dags Dagur Dagur Dag Dag Dag Dag
Dead Deid Dea Dood Dood Dood Tot Dauþs Dauður Deyður Död Død Død Daud
Die Dee Stjerre Sterf Sterven Döen/ Starven Sterben Diwan Deyja Doyggja Døy
Enough Eneuch Genôg Genoeg Genoeg Noog Genug Ganohs Nóg Nóg/ Nógmikið Nog Nok Nok Nog
Finger Finger Finger Vinger Vinger Finger Finger Figgrs Fingur Fingur Finger Finger Finger Finger
Give Gie Jan Gee Geven Geven Geben Giban Gefa Geva Giva / Ge Give Gi Gje
Glass Gless Glês Glas Glas Glas Glas Gler Glas Glas Glas Glass Glas
Gold Gowd Goud Goud Goud Gold Gold Gulþ Gull Gull Guld/ Gull Guld Gull Gull
Hand Haund Hân Hand Hand Hand Hand Handus Hönd Hond Hand Hånd Hånd Hand
Head Heid Holle Hoof / Kop Hoofd/ Kop Kopp Haupt/ Kopf Háubiþ Höfuð Høvd/ Høvur Huvud Hoved Hode Hovud
High Heich Heech Hoog Hoog Hoog Hoch Háuh Hár Høg/ur Hög Høj Høy Høg
Home Hame Hiem Heim / Tuis Heim Oll Alt Sineigs Gamall Gamal Gammal Gammel Gammel Gamal
One Ane Ien Een Een Een Eins Áins Einn Ein En En En Ein
Ounce Unce Ons Ons Ons Ons Unze Unkja Únsa Únsa Uns Unse Unse Unse
Snow Snaw Snie Sneeu Sneeuw Snee Schnee Snáiws Snjór Kavi/ Snjógvur Snö Sne Snø Snø
Stone Stane Stien Steen Steen Steen Stein Stáins Steinn Steinur Sten Sten Sten Stein
That That Dat Dit Dat, Die Dat Das Þata Það Tað Det Det Det Det
Two Twa Twa Twee Twee Twee Zwei/ Zwo Twái Tveir/ Tvær/ Tvö Tveir Två To To To
Who Wha Wie Wie Wie Wokeen Wer ?as Hver Hvør Vem Hvem Hvem Kven
Worm Wirm Wjirm Wurm Wurm/ Worm Worm Wurm Maþa Maðkur, Ormur Maðkur/ Ormur Mask/ Orm  Orm Mark/ Orm Makk/ Orm 
English English language

English is a widely distributed language that originated in England [i] but is now the primary language ... 

Scots Scots language

Scots refers to the Anglic [i] varieties [i] spoken in parts of Scotland [i]. ... 

Frisian Frisian language

Frisian is a Germanic [i] group of closely related languages, spoken by about half a ... 

Afrikaans Afrikaans

Afrikaans is a Low Franconian language [i] mainly spoken in South Africa [i] an ... 

Dutch Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic [i] language [i] spoken by around 22 million people, mainly in the Netherlands [i] ... 

Low Saxon Low German

Low German is a name for the regional language [i] varieties of the West Germanic languages [i] spoken m ... 

Standard German German language

German is a West Germanic language [i]. ... 

Gothic Gothic language

The Gothic language is an extinct [i] Germanic language [i] that was spoken by the Goths [i] ... 

Icelandic Faroese Faroese language

Faroese , often also spelled Faeroese, is a West Nordic or West Scandinavian language [i] spoken b ... 

Swedish Swedish language

Swedish is a North Germanic language [i] spoken predominantly in Sweden [i] a ... 

Danish Danish language

Danish is one of the North Germanic languages [i] , a sub-group of the Germanic [i] ... 

Norwegian Norwegian language

Norwegian is a Germanic language [i] spoken in Norway [i]. ... 

Norwegian Norwegian language

Norwegian is a Germanic language [i] spoken in Norway [i]. ... 


Notes


See also

  • Germanic verb and its various subordinated articles.
  • Language families and languages Language family

    A language family is a group of genetically related language [i]s said to have descended from a common proto-language [i] ... 

  • Non-Indo-European roots of Germanic languages
  • Folkspraak Folkspraak

    Folkspraak is an international auxiliary language [i] project based on the Germanic languages [i], curre ... 

    , a planned language designed to be quickly learnable by a speaker of any Germanic language.
  • List of Germanic and Latinate equivalents
  • Germanization and Anglicization
  • Germanic placenames

External links




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