Is English a Germanic Language? A Deep Dive

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English generally is a tough language to study. It’s obtained phrases like “worse” and “horse” that don’t rhyme, and phrases like “swim” and “combat” that by some means turn into “swum” and “fought.” How do you untangle all these English phrases and pronunciations?

The key is with the ability to reply, “Is English a Germanic language?” and understanding English’s origins. Some English phrases got here straight from a Germanic ancestor language, whereas others went by means of a wide range of languages earlier than making their method to English. Both means, studying extra concerning the English language makes you a stronger English speaker—even when English is your first language.

What’s a Germanic language?

The time period “Germanic language” doesn’t simply come from German, though German is unquestionably a Germanic language. These languages come from a Proto-Germanic language that dates again to the first century C.E. They share vocabulary, sound techniques, and grammar buildings, making them look and sound similar to one another.

So, is English a Germanic language? Sure! English is without doubt one of the commonest languages on the planet. However it didn’t begin out that means. Even the phrase “English” has a Germanic supply!

Earlier than Anglo-Saxons from Germany invaded Britain within the fifth century C.E., folks in Britain spoke both Latin or Celtic languages. The Anglo-Saxons introduced the Germanic language Anglisc to Britain, which turned the Outdated English dialect in later centuries. (Say Anglisc out loud and also you’ll hear a phrase that sounds so much like “English.”)

The Fifteenth-century invention of the printing press and British exploration unfold the English language world wide. As we speak, over one-third of the world’s inhabitants (practically 2 billion folks) speaks English as a primary or discovered language.

English phrases with Germanic roots

It’s straightforward to identify some English phrases that come from German, reminiscent of kindergarten or smorgasbord. Often called loanwords, these phrases comply with English pronunciation guidelines, however nonetheless remind audio system of their German roots.

However English has extra Germanic phrases than these two. In reality, you most likely use them on daily basis! All of those English phrases have origins within the Proto-Germanic mom language.

Notice that many English phrases seem like they need to rhyme, reminiscent of “dough” and “tough” or “horse” and “worse.” However a fast have a look at their Proto-Germanic roots reveals that these phrase pairs by no means shared pronunciations. Their spellings are their solely similarities.

Germanic verb sorts in English

What about English phrases like “swim” and “combat,” which change varieties in previous tense? These verbs are often known as grammatically sturdy verbs. You possibly can divide verbs in all Germanic languages, together with English, into sturdy and weak verbs.

• Sturdy verbs: Verbs which have an inside vowel change whenever you change their tense. For instance: “Swim”/”swum,” “combat”/”fought”
• Weak verbs: Verbs that add a suffix whenever you change their tense. For instance: “Stroll”/”walked”, “smile”/”smiled”

Sturdy verbs in English sometimes come from verbs with Germanic roots. English verbs that come from different language sources, reminiscent of Spanish or French, are often weak verbs. Take into account phrases like “put together” (from the Spanish preparar) or “demand” (from the French demander). Each phrases finish in -ed prior to now tense, making them weak. However sturdy Germanic verbs like “go away” turn into “left” prior to now tense. 

You’ll discover some Germanic verbs in English too, reminiscent of “assist” (previous tense “helped”) or “love” (previous tense “cherished”). However if you happen to do discover a sturdy verb, it’s a protected wager that that phrase got here from a Germanic ancestor.

What are the opposite Germanic languages?

English is a Germanic language, but it surely’s not the one one. Over 133 million folks communicate German itself, making it the second-most frequent Germanic language on the planet (behind English).

The total record of main Germanic languages contains:

• English
• German
• Dutch
• Swedish
• Danish
• Norwegian
• Frisian
• Afrikaans
• Yiddish
• Icelandic
• Faroese

Whereas audio system of every language might not readily perceive the others, their frequent roots make them simpler to study. Somebody who speaks solely English might catch on to German or Dutch simply, whereas Danish audio system might discover Norwegian easy to choose up!

Is English additionally a Romance language?

English could also be Germanic, however its influences don’t cease there. English has heavy influences from French, Spanish, and Italian—none of that are Germanic. These are Romance languages, which come from Latin. 

Despite the fact that it has French phrases like “delicacies,” Spanish phrases like “mosquito,” and Italian phrases like “piano,” English isn’t a Romance language. So what’s with all of the phrases from Romance languages?

Germanic and Romance languages each belong to the Indo-European language household. Their nations of origin are very shut collectively, permitting languages and cultures to combine as their populations grew. English and French are particularly shut, as Norman invaders introduced Outdated French to Britain in 1066.

When British settlers made their residence in america, they introduced the English language with them. So did immigrants from France, Italy, Spain, and plenty of different nations world wide. Being so near different cultures allowed these languages to affect one another much more. That’s why English now contains phrases like “guacamole” and “pasta”—two glorious additions to the English language!

Attention-grabbing details about English

Need to know extra concerning the frequent Germanic language that you simply already communicate (or are studying to talk)? Try these fascinating details about probably the most spoken language on the planet.

• As we speak there are round 1 million phrases within the English language. That quantity is all the time rising, due to know-how and affect from different cultures.
• English is carefully associated to Scots, a Germanic language spoken in Scotland. Scots and English share roots in Outdated English. Whereas the languages diverged within the 14th century, audio system of each languages can typically perceive the opposite one.
• There are dozens of English dialects spoken world wide immediately. These dialects come about when neighboring cultures affect the pronunciation and vocabulary of English. 
• There’s not only one kind of American English or British English. Linguists have recognized no less than 25 American English dialects, for instance, and round 15 completely different British accents.
• Many English phrases have been invented by writers, not handed down from different languages. For instance, students consider that William Shakespeare created 1,700 new phrases, together with “lackluster” and “swagger.”
• English is spoken in over 100 nations, 35 of which title it as an official language.
• Extra folks study English as a second (or third, or fourth) language than Spanish, French, Japanese, German, Italian, and Chinese language mixed.

What Germanic language do you have to study subsequent?

As soon as you already know one Germanic language, it’s not tough to study one other. And nice information—if you happen to can learn this text, you already know one, since English is a Germanic language! 

English audio system typically go on to study German, Dutch, or Norwegian with out a lot problem. With Rosetta Stone’s Dynamic Immersion methodology, you’ll be able to research the variations between English and your new language, each large and small. 

Be taught extra about how Rosetta Stone works to start out your Germanic language studying journey immediately!