The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 515 million people [nb 1] mainly in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Southern Africa. The most widely spoken Germanic language, English, is also the world's most widely spoken language with an estimated 2 billion speakers.

Jan 15, 2025 · Germanic languages, branch of the Indo-European language family consisting of the West Germanic, North Germanic, and East Germanic groups.

Each subfamily in this list contains subgroups and individual languages. The standard division of Germanic is into three branches: They all descend from Proto-Germanic, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European.

The West Germanic branch is classically subdivided into three branches: Ingvaeonic, which includes English, the Low German languages, and the Frisian languages; Istvaeonic, which encompasses Dutch and its close relatives; and Irminonic, which includes German and its close relatives and variants.

How many languages are there in the Germanic language branch and how many people speak these languages? Learn more about its structure and dialects.

Aug 13, 2024 · 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.

Jul 5, 2024 · Modern German continues to evolve and is known for its strong tradition in literature, science, and culture. Within the group of Germanic languages, there are three main branches: West Germanic, North Germanic, and East Germanic. Let's explore each branch and the languages included within them.

Dec 20, 2024 · The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, with a proto-language known as Proto-Germanic. This ancient language, spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia, Northern Germany, and along the North Sea and Baltic coasts, eventually evolved into the diverse family of languages we know today.

Feb 15, 2018 · Today, Germanic languages are divided into 3 branches: East, North, and West. The East Germanic language branch consists of extinct languages, including: Burgundian, Gothic, and Vandalic. Crimean Gothic survived longer than the other languages and was used for communication until the 18th century.

Sep 30, 2023 · The biggest of the three branches in the Germanic language family is the West Germanic branch. It’s home to the three most commonly spoken Germanic languages: English , German , and Dutch . Around 500 million people speak West Germanic languages as …