Why does French sound like a Germanic language?
It seems that the answer lies in substrate languages that French came into contact with. The sound seems to have undergone a slow decay as French evolved after the fall of the Roman Empire. However, when the Gallo-Roman met the Frankish tribes (of Germanic origins), they reintroduced the sound.
Is English a mix of German and French?
English has its roots in the Germanic languages, from which German and Dutch also developed, as well as having many influences from romance languages such as French. (Romance languages are so called because they are derived from Latin which was the language spoken in ancient Rome.)
Why is French not a Germanic language?
No, French is not a Germanic language, but it is an amalgamation of of chiefly Gallic Celtic and Vulgar Latin (later forming Gallo-Romance) and Frankish. However, French as well as the other Romance languages have numerous words that are of Germanic origin.
Why is English so different from German?
The reason is the reduction in vowels to neutral vowels (typically, the schwa), which made endings for different genders identical. This process happened more quickly in English, possibly due to heavy migration into England by speakers of Old Norse during the 10th century, shortly before the gender system disappeared.
Why do English have so many words?
The Oxford Dictionary says it’s quite probable that English has more words than most comparable world languages. The reason is historical. English was originally a Germanic language, related to Dutch and German. English shares much of its grammar and basic vocabulary with those languages.
Why are so many French and English words similar?
Like its fellow Romance languages, French is a form of Vulgarized (that is, spoken by the people and influenced by previously existing local dialects) Latin. This is one of the reasons why there are so many similar words in French and Latin-influenced English.
Is English a Germanic?
German is widely considered among the easier languages for native English speakers to pick up. That’s because these languages are true linguistic siblings—originating from the exact same mother tongue. In fact, eighty of the hundred most used words in English are of Germanic origin.
Why does English sound so different to other Germanic languages?
English sound different because it is your own language. To an outsider from another language family it is unlikely that it sounds much different to other Germanic languages. One key difference is that English has adopted more words from more outside sources than other Germanic languages have.
What is the origin of the English language?
Linguists use many factors, such as grammar, phonology, and vocabulary, to determine the historical ancestry of modern languages. The overall composition of English reveals strong Germanic roots. It’s official: English is a proud member of the West Germanic language family!
What are the living languages of the Germanic family?
English, Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Frisian, Flemish, Dutch, Afrikaans, German, and Yiddish are the living languages that are part of the Germanic family. This family is divided into North Germanic (Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish) and West Germanic (English, Frisian, Flemish,…
How similar are the phonetic systems of English and Germanic languages?
If making worldwide comparisons, the phonetic systems of all Germanic tongues are pretty close, with German more of an outlier than Engl The question’s assumption is incorrect. English does indeed sound very much like other Germanic tongues.