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Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic branches during the fifth century BC to fifth century AD: West Germanic , East Germanic and North Germanic . [1]
- c. 500 BC-200 BC
- Germanic languages
All Germanic languages are derived from Proto-Germanic, spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia and Germany. The West Germanic languages include the three most widely spoken Germanic languages: English with around 360–400 million native speakers; German, with over 100 million native speakers; and Dutch, with 24 million native speakers.
- 52- (phylozone)
- Proto-Germanic
- Indo-EuropeanGermanic
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How were Germanic languages derived from Proto-Germanic languages?
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- Overview
- The emergence of Germanic languages
Like every language spoken over a considerable geographic area, Proto-Germanic presumably consisted of a number of geographic varieties or dialects that over time developed in different ways into the different early and modern Germanic languages. Late-19th-century scholars used a family tree diagram to show this splitting into dialects and the relationships among the dialects:
Though there is much truth in such a diagram, it overemphasizes the notion of “splits” into separate “branches” and obscures the fact that the transition from one dialect to another may be gradual rather than abrupt.
Mid-20th-century scholars, using the findings of archaeology and the methods of geographic linguistics, attempted to correct the distortions of this family-tree model by noting also the linguistic features shared by two or more dialect areas. Archaeological evidence suggests that about 750 bce a relatively uniform Germanic people was located in southern Scandinavia and along the North Sea and Baltic coasts from what is now the Netherlands to the Vistula River. By roughly 250 bce they had spread south, and five general groups are distinguishable: North Germanic in southern Scandinavia, excluding Jutland; North Sea Germanic, along the North Sea and in Jutland; Rhine-Weser Germanic, along the middle Rhine and Weser; Elbe Germanic, along the middle Elbe; and East Germanic, between the middle Oder and the Vistula rivers.
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By roughly 250 bce the division was much the same, though the Elbe group had spread southward to the Danube River, and the East Germanic group had moved southeast into the Carpathian Mountains and beyond. Then, toward the end of the 4th century, began the great Germanic tribal migrations. North Sea Germanic speakers spread south along the coast of the Low Countries and began their conquest of Britain; North Germanic speakers moved into Jutland; the Rhine-Weser group (Franks) expanded farther into Gallo-Roman territory west of the Rhine; the Elbe group (Alemanni, Bavarians, and Langobardi [Lombards]) spread farther south to the Alps and beyond; and several East Germanic groups left the Oder-Vistula area to begin their wanderings.
Like every language spoken over a considerable geographic area, Proto-Germanic presumably consisted of a number of geographic varieties or dialects that over time developed in different ways into the different early and modern Germanic languages. Late-19th-century scholars used a family tree diagram to show this splitting into dialects and the relationships among the dialects:
Though there is much truth in such a diagram, it overemphasizes the notion of “splits” into separate “branches” and obscures the fact that the transition from one dialect to another may be gradual rather than abrupt.
Mid-20th-century scholars, using the findings of archaeology and the methods of geographic linguistics, attempted to correct the distortions of this family-tree model by noting also the linguistic features shared by two or more dialect areas. Archaeological evidence suggests that about 750 bce a relatively uniform Germanic people was located in southern Scandinavia and along the North Sea and Baltic coasts from what is now the Netherlands to the Vistula River. By roughly 250 bce they had spread south, and five general groups are distinguishable: North Germanic in southern Scandinavia, excluding Jutland; North Sea Germanic, along the North Sea and in Jutland; Rhine-Weser Germanic, along the middle Rhine and Weser; Elbe Germanic, along the middle Elbe; and East Germanic, between the middle Oder and the Vistula rivers.
Britannica Quiz
Word Nerd Quiz
By roughly 250 bce the division was much the same, though the Elbe group had spread southward to the Danube River, and the East Germanic group had moved southeast into the Carpathian Mountains and beyond. Then, toward the end of the 4th century, began the great Germanic tribal migrations. North Sea Germanic speakers spread south along the coast of the Low Countries and began their conquest of Britain; North Germanic speakers moved into Jutland; the Rhine-Weser group (Franks) expanded farther into Gallo-Roman territory west of the Rhine; the Elbe group (Alemanni, Bavarians, and Langobardi [Lombards]) spread farther south to the Alps and beyond; and several East Germanic groups left the Oder-Vistula area to begin their wanderings.
Thus, the Proto-Germanic *o of *hornan in this position yielded au in Gothic and o in the other languages. In other positions (e.g., when followed by a nasal sound plus a consonant) *o yielded u in all the languages: Proto-Germanic *dumbaz, Gothic dumbs, Old Norse dumbr, Old English, Old Frisian, and Old Saxon dumb, Old High German tumb ‘dumb
The Proto-Germanic language is the ancestral language from which the Germanic family of languages, including German, English, Dutch, and others, emerged. It is believed to have been spoken by the Germanic tribes during the 1st millennium BCE. This language underwent several sound shifts and changes over time, leading to the divergence of ...
Germanic languages, Branch of the Indo-European language family, comprising languages descended from Proto-Germanic. These are divided into West Germanic, including English, German, Frisian, Dutch, Afrikaans, and Yiddish; North Germanic, including Danish, Swedish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Faeroese (the language of the Faroe Islands); and East ...
I. INTRODUCTION. 1.1. Definition of Proto-Germanic. Proto-Germanic (PGmc) is the reconstructed language from which the attested Germanic dialects developed; chief among these are Gothic (Go.) representing East Germanic, Old Norse (ON) representing North Germanic, and Old English (OE), Old Saxon (OS), and Old High German (OHG) representing West ...
