What Are the Germanic Languages?

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You probably know that German is a Germanic language—after all, it’s right there in the name! But what other languages are considered Germanic, and what puts them in that category? 

Learn all about the Germanic branch of the language family tree, how it came about, and why Germanic languages can sometimes sound a little Romantic.

What is a Germanic language?

Germanic languages all come from German, but not the German language you’re used to hearing today. They come from a common Proto-Germanic ancestor in the Indo-European language family. 

Linguists date this common language to as early as 200 C.E., with different Germanic languages forming in various regions between 700 and 1500 C.E.

Most of these languages continued to adapt past 1500 C.E., with modern languages finding grammatical and vocabulary roots in these ancestral tongues. Old Dutch became Middle Dutch (1150-1600 C.E.), for example, and Old English became Middle English (1050-1600 C.E.). Old Norse diverged into several dialects in the 14th century, including Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic.

How many Germanic languages are there?

All told, you’ll find 11 modern Germanic languages spoken by nearly 1.7 billion people in the world—close to one-quarter of the world’s population! Though they may seem different at first, their common roots and grammatical elements bring these languages together.

What modern languages are Germanic?

Many languages used in Northern European countries are Germanic or were heavily influenced by the Germanic language. English is a Germanic language, for example, as are Swedish, Dutch, and Norwegian. 

1. English

If you can read this, you can read the most commonly spoken Germanic language (and the most commonly spoken language in the world). More than 1.5 billion people speak English as a first or second language!

English comes from Old English, which split from Proto-Germanic after the 5th-century Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain. It also incorporated a strong French influence after the Norman conquest of 1066. Modern English dialects include Scots, British English, Australian English, and American English.

Compare Old English and Modern English words to their Proto-Germanic roots to see how they developed over centuries. 

2. German

You probably guessed that German is a Germanic language. It comes from Old High German, which was spoken in southern Germany until the 12th century. Today, over 133 million speak German.

Many modern German words are closely related to their Proto-Germanic roots. Take the verb “give,” for example—it maintains the same spelling throughout German linguistic history. Also, all nouns are capitalized in German, which is not the case in other Germanic languages.

3. Dutch

Dutch is close to both German and English. It comes from Old Dutch, another Proto-Germanic descendant language, and Low Frankish, which influenced modern-day French.

Around 23 million people speak Dutch today, including people who speak Flemish—a French-influenced dialect of Dutch spoken in northern Belgium. 

4. Afrikaans

Over 8 million people speak Afrikaans, primarily in South Africa. Afrikaans is a Creole language, which means it comes from a combination of languages including Dutch, Malay, Indonesian, Portuguese, and dialects from neighboring regions.

Afrikaans is most similar to modern Dutch, which was brought to Africa by Dutch explorers and settlers in the 17th century. Take a look at a few common Afrikaans words, which look similar to their mother language of Dutch.

5. Swedish

Did you know that Swedish and English are related? They are, thanks to their common Proto-Germanic ancestor. Swedish and its Scandinavian cousins, Norwegian and Danish, come from dialects of Old Norse spoken by Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries.

There are around 8 million Swedish speakers in and around Sweden today. Though Swedish may not sound exactly like English or German, you’ll find that much of its vocabulary and grammar is similar to other North Germanic languages.

6. Danish

Like other Scandinavian or Nordic languages, Danish comes from Old Norse. Today, you’ll find nearly 6 million Danish speakers in Denmark and Greenland.

Although Danish comes from Old Norse, it includes many influences from both German and English in the last 500 years. Its word for “king” resembles the German König, while the Dutch word for “give” looks just like the English give.

7. Norwegian

Norway is home to almost 6 million Norwegian speakers today, though many speakers also live in neighboring Denmark and Sweden. Norwegian is closely related to Danish due to their shared roots in Old Norse. 

Like English, Norwegian combines smaller words to form compound nouns. But in Norwegian, you can add up to four words to create a compound word! That leads to some long words, such as Menneskerettighetserklæring (“declaration of human rights”) and Hovedstadspostkontorer (“capital post offices”).

8. Yiddish

Yiddish is a Germanic language spoken primarily by descendants of Ashkenazic Jews from Germany and Northern Europe. Today, around 600,000 people speak Yiddish worldwide, including 250,000 Yiddish speakers in the United States. 

Like German and Dutch, Yiddish comes from Old High German. But unlike other Germanic languages, Yiddish uses the Hebrew writing system instead of the Latin alphabet. If you know Hebrew and English, learning Yiddish may not be difficult for you!

9. Frisian

Frisian is derived from Old Frisian, an early Proto-Germanic descendent. Around 400,000 Frisian speakers live in the province of Friesland, located in the northern Netherlands. 

Though multiple Frisian dialects existed in the region’s history, West Frisian is the primary dialect now. Frisian is also the closest language to English today. Its similar pronunciation and sentence structure make it straightforward for English speakers to pick up!

10. Icelandic

Around 380,000 people speak Icelandic today. It’s derived from Old Norse, like Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian, and is spoken primarily in Iceland.

This Germanic language is more closely related to its Old Norse roots than other Scandinavian and Nordic languages. Take a look at the similarities between Old Norse and Modern Icelandic in these words:

11. Faroese

About 75,000 people speak the Faroese language in Denmark and the Faroe Islands ( located between Iceland and Norway). Faroese, pronounced “fair-oh-EEZ,” is another Germanic language derived from Old Norse. 

Faroese may sound familiar to those who speak Icelandic or Norwegian. But Faroese has another language source: Gaelic, which was present on the Faroe Islands before Vikings arrived in the 9th century. Gaelic speakers may also hear a few similar words and pronunciations on a visit to this region!

How are Germanic languages similar?

Though these modern languages have had many influences and changes in the last two millennia, it’s easy to see how similar they still are. Linguists divide Germanic languages into two main categories: West Germanic languages and North Germanic languages. East Germanic languages, which include Gothic, Burgundian, and Vandalic, have not been widely spoken since the 17th century and are now considered extinct.

West Germanic languages list

From the initial Proto-Germanic language, six West Germanic languages are still spoken today. These languages come from the North Sea and Rhine-Weser region and are derived from Old English, Old High German, Old Dutch, and Old Frisian. Many words and grammatical patterns are very similar across these languages.

North Germanic languages list

North Germanic languages are spoken in present-day Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark). Derived from Old Norse, these languages are related to their West Germanic counterparts in structure and syntax, with several familiar-sounding vocabulary words in each language.

Though North Germanic languages are similar, speaking each one with the correct pronunciation is key. Features like the TruAccent speech recognition engine from Rosetta Stone make it easy to sound like a local when you practice a new dialect. 

Why do Germanic languages have Latin words?

Germanic languages may come from the same source, but their vocabulary isn’t limited to German nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Many Germanic languages share vocabulary and an alphabet with Latin-based Romance languages like French, Italian, and Spanish thanks to the expansion of the Roman Empire in Europe. 

Like Germanic languages, Romance languages are in the Indo-European language family, and they began to form around the same time (500 C.E.). Many countries that would later adopt Germanic languages spoke Latin first. Roman troops brought Latin to Germany around 55 B.C., for example, and Latin arrived in England in the first century C.E. 

By the time Anglo-Saxon troops settled in different regions in Northern and Western Europe, many Latin words had already become common vernacular. Latin words re-entered many Germanic languages during the Renaissance as well.

Germanic languages tie our history together

Taking on the task of learning German doesn’t mean you’ll know every Germanic language, but it’s a good start. So many elements of every Germanic language tie closely together, making them a great starting point for a language-learning journey. 

If English is your only language (so far), Dutch or Norwegian may be good languages to learn next. Those who know Danish may find it easy to pick up Swedish, while German speakers may try their hand at learning Yiddish. With Rosetta Stone, the choice—and the adventure—is yours!