West Germanic languages

The West Germanic Languages are a branch of Germanic languages first spoken in Central Europe and the British Isles. The branch has three parts: the North Sea Germanic languages, the Weser-Rhine Germanic languages, and the Elbe Germanic languages. The most spoken languages in the branch are English, German, and Dutch.

West Germanic
Geographic distribution:	Originally between the Rhine, Alps, Elbe, and North Sea; today worldwide
Linguistic classification:	Indo-European Germanic West Germanic
Subdivisions:	North Sea Germanic Weser-Rhine Germanic Elbe Germanic
ISO 639-5:	gmw
Extent of Germanic languages in present day Europe North Germanic languages      Icelandic      Faroese      Norwegian      Swedish      Danish West Germanic languages      Scots      English      Frisian      Dutch      Low German      High German Dots indicate areas where multilingualism is common.

These languages were spread around the world in the Colonial Era. English is now spoken by around 400 million people natively.

Branches

There are three branches of West Germanic languages:

• North Sea Germanic / Ingvaeonic languages
  • Anglo-Frisian languages
    • English Languages/Anglic
      • English
      • Scots
      • Yola (extinct)
      • Fingalian (extinct)
    • Frisian languages
      • West Frisian
      • East Frisian
      • North Frisian
  • Low German / Low Saxon
    • Northern Low Saxon
    • Schleswig dialects
    • Holstein dialects
    • Westphalian
    • Eastphalia dialects
    • Brandenburg dialects ("Märkisch")
    • Pomeranian (moribund)
    • Low Prussian (moribund)
    • Dutch Low Saxon
• Weser-Rhine Germanic / Istvaeonic languages / Netherlandic / Low Frankish
  • Dutch
    • West Flemish
    • East Flemish
    • Zeelandic
    • Hollandic
    • Brabantine
    • Zuid-Gelders/Clevian/Meuse-Rhenish
    • Limburgian
  • Afrikaans
• Elbe Germanic / Irminonic languages / High German
  • German
    • Alemannic, including Swiss German and Alsatian
    • Swabian
    • Austro-Bavarian
    • East Franconian
    • South Franconian
    • Rhine Franconian, including the dialects of Hessen, Pennsylvania German, and most of those from Lorraine
    • Ripuarian
    • Thuringian
    • Upper Saxon German
    • Silesian (moribund)
    • Lombardic AKA Langobardic (extinct, unless Cimbrian and Mocheno are in fact Langobardic remnants.)
    • High Prussian (moribund)
  • Luxembourgish
  • Pennsylvania German language
  • Yiddish (a language based on Eastern-Central dialects of late Middle High German/Early New High German)

West Germanic Languages Media

• 

  The approximate extent of the continental West Germanic languages in the early 10th century:     Old Dutch*     Old High German*     Old Frisian*     Old Saxon*

    Line marking the boundaries of the continental West Germanic dialect continuum.
• 

  The varieties of the continental West Germanic dialect continuum since 1945:      Low Franconian or Netherlandic      Frisian      Low Saxon or Low German      Central German      High German

• 

  Einteilung der Germanen nach Maurer

• 

  Grouping of the main Germanic tribes (which can be equated with their languages/dialects) according to Friedrich Maurer

Sources

• Crystal, David (2006). "Chapter 9: English worldwide". In Denison, David; Hogg, Richard M. (eds.). A History of the English Language. Cambridge University Press. pp. 420–439. ISBN 978-0-511-16893-2.