Evolution of Germanic and Celtic Language Branches

The Germanic Language Branch

The Germanic branch is divided into three sub-branches: East Germanic (currently extinct); North Germanic, containing Old Norse, the ancestor of all modern Scandinavian languages; and West Germanic, containing Old English, Old Saxon, and Old High German.

The Germanic language group can be traced back to the region between the Elbe River in modern Germany and Southern Sweden some 3,000 years ago.

The Germanic group itself also split over time as the people migrated into other parts of Continental Europe:

• North Germanic: This evolved into Old Norse and then into the various Scandinavian languages, including Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, and Icelandic.
• East Germanic: Spoken by peoples who migrated back to Eastern and Southeastern Europe, this branch included Burgundian, Vandalic, and Gothic.
• West Germanic: The ancestor of Old High German, Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Old Low Franconian, and others, which in turn gave rise to modern German, Dutch, Flemish, Low German, Frisian, Yiddish, and, ultimately, English.

Characteristics of German and English

German has a system of four cases and three genders for its nouns. Case is the property where a noun takes a different ending depending on its role in a sentence. An example in English would be the forms: lady, lady's, ladies, and ladies'. The genders are masculine, feminine, and neuter. German has three dialects spoken in Northern Germany, Southern Germany, and Austria, and a very different form spoken in Switzerland.

English has lost gender and case. Only a few words form their plurals like German (e.g., ox/oxen and child/children). Most now add an -s, having been influenced by Norman French.

The Celtic Language Branch

This is now the smallest branch. The languages originated in Central Europe and once dominated Western Europe (around 400 BC). The people migrated across to the British Isles over 2,000 years ago. Later, when the Germanic-speaking Anglo-Saxons arrived, the Celtic speakers were pushed into Wales (Welsh), Ireland (Irish Gaelic), and Scotland (Scottish Gaelic).

One group of Celts moved back to France. Their language became Breton, spoken in the Brittany region of France. Breton is closer to Welsh than to French.

Celtic Sub-branches

This branch contains three sub-branches:

• Goidelic: Irish Gaelic, Manx, and Scottish Gaelic.
• Brythonic: Cornish, Breton, and Welsh.
• Gaulish: An ancient, now extinct language.