Germanic is a branch of the Indo-European family that divides into West Germanic (English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans and others), North Germanic (Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese and their common ancestor Old Norse) and the now-extinct East Germanic branch, whose sole well-attested member is Gothic. All Germanic languages descend from Proto-Germanic, reconstructed as having been spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia and northern Germany. Today the branch has roughly 515 million native speakers, with English alone accounting for 360 to 400 million of them.
Facts
RegionHistorically Scandinavia and northern Germany; today spoken worldwide, chiefly in Europe, North America, Oceania and southern Africa 1 Speaker CountCombined native speakers of all Germanic languages; English alone accounts for roughly 360-400 million of the total. Proto-Language StatusDescends from Proto-Germanic (Common Germanic), an unattested reconstructed proto-language, thought to have been spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia and northern Germany. 1 Germanic
Filter Results2 entries
Connections
Ancestor Of
North Germanic (Scandinavian) groups Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic and Faroese, one of the three traditional branches of Germanic.
West Germanic groups English, German, Dutch and their relatives, one of the three traditional branches of Germanic alongside North and East Germanic.
In Family
Source Wikipedia: Germanic Languages
Includes
Source Wikipedia: Danish Language
Source Wikipedia: Dutch Language
Source Wikipedia: Germanic Languages
Source Wikipedia: Germanic Languages
Source Wikipedia: Icelandic Language
Source Wikipedia: Norwegian Language
Source Wikipedia: Old English
Source Wikipedia: Germanic Languages
Source Wikipedia: Swedish Language
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Germanic Languages
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction
The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family.
Proto-language section
All Germanic languages are derived from Proto-Germanic, spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia, Iron Age Northern Germany.
- Geographic distribution section
- Speaker population section
- Includes: German, Major branches section
- Includes: English, Major branches section
- Includes: Old Norse, Major branches section
View the Source Wikipedia: Dutch Language
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Dutch, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Dutch, Infobox, Language family
Top family: Indo-European; immediate parent branch: West Germanic.
Wikipedia: Old English
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Old English, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Old English, Infobox, Language family
Language family, per infobox: Indo-European, Germanic, West Germanic.
Wikipedia: Swedish Language
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Swedish, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Swedish, Infobox, Language family
Top family: Indo-European languages; immediate branch: North Germanic languages.
Wikipedia: Norwegian Language
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Norwegian, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Norwegian, Infobox, Language family
Top family: Indo-European; immediate branch: North Germanic languages (within Germanic languages).
Wikipedia: Danish Language
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Danish, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Danish, Infobox, Language family
Top family: Indo-European; immediate branch: North Germanic (within Germanic languages).
Wikipedia: Icelandic Language
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Icelandic, Infobox, Language familyQuote, Includes: Icelandic, Infobox, Language family
Top family: Indo-European languages; immediate branch: North Germanic languages.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.