Even though most of the Anglo-Saxons are believed to have come from what is now northern Germany and Denmark the Dutch language seems much closer to English. Obviously the High German sound shift is the main cause of this, but Dutch seems closer in other ways too, with much more grammatical and vocabulary similarities. What is the reason for this?
Why is Dutch so close to English?
English vs.Dutch isn't very close, unless you're comparing it to something like English vs. Chinese.
Why Danish is so close to English? Jarl-earl (Dutch-graaf),hare-hare (Dutch haas),forgiv-forgive,for-for,hver-where,hvit-white,træ-tree (Dutch-boom),folket-folk,fugl-fowl,barn-bairn (Dutch kind),under-under,holm-holm,loft-loft.
"Why Danish is so close to English? Jarl-earl (Dutch-graaf),hare-hare (Dutch haas),forgiv-forgive,for-for,hver-where,hvit-white,træ-tree (Dutch-boom),folket-folk,fugl-fowl,barn-bairn (Dutch kind),under-under,holm-holm,loft-loft."
I've heard this about Danish (and the other Scandinavian languages) before but I don't see that much in common with the Scandinavian languages and English and they certainly don't sound very familiar. However West Germanic languages like Dutch and Frisian often sound familiar (I don't know why but some Dutch accents almost sound Scottish!) and certainly have more vocabulary in common.
I've heard this about Danish (and the other Scandinavian languages) before but I don't see that much in common with the Scandinavian languages and English and they certainly don't sound very familiar. However West Germanic languages like Dutch and Frisian often sound familiar (I don't know why but some Dutch accents almost sound Scottish!) and certainly have more vocabulary in common.
Dutch is closest language to German and Frisian is closest language to English.
I would assume that it's because german sound wise has drifted much more when compared to dutch. I mean I fine all the germanic languages closer together when compared to english and german. Were both at opposite ends. Dutch is in the middle, frisian is west of the middle.
<<Who cares.>>
A lot of people care. Who the f*** R U?
<<English vs.Dutch isn't very close, unless you're comparing it to something like English vs. Chinese. >>
Ignorant and absurd. Of course they are close, as close maybe as French is to Spanish.
<<Dutch is closest language to German and Frisian is closest language to English. >>
Some would call Dutch a brugtaal (bridge-language): its simialrity to german is in its past; its closeness to English is its present and future.
A lot of people care. Who the f*** R U?
<<English vs.Dutch isn't very close, unless you're comparing it to something like English vs. Chinese. >>
Ignorant and absurd. Of course they are close, as close maybe as French is to Spanish.
<<Dutch is closest language to German and Frisian is closest language to English. >>
Some would call Dutch a brugtaal (bridge-language): its simialrity to german is in its past; its closeness to English is its present and future.
The Dutch in the Netherlands don't care about their Dutch language.
They switch to English even when spoken to in Dutch.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has signs in BOLD English with little small Dutch subtitles at the bottom. So much for you Dutch being proud of your national language?
You don't care about your own language Dutch, why should we care about it?
BLA BLA BLA.... it will definitely not survive .... maybe somewhere else but that won't be in the Netherlands!!
They switch to English even when spoken to in Dutch.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport has signs in BOLD English with little small Dutch subtitles at the bottom. So much for you Dutch being proud of your national language?
You don't care about your own language Dutch, why should we care about it?
BLA BLA BLA.... it will definitely not survive .... maybe somewhere else but that won't be in the Netherlands!!
It will be replaced by Dunglish. A very harsh and rudimentary variant of English with poor grammar. Their dialect of English will basically be translated Dutch.
Many similarities between English and Danish (and other Scandinavian languages) are due to the Viking era in Great Britain. There are even parallel words like shirt - skirt (the latter Scandinavian) that can be explained by the Viking impact. Also, there are lots of Scandinavian place names in England, like those ending -by, e.g. Whitby (by is in Swedish 'village', in Danish and Norwegian 'city'). Even 'egg', 'take', 'cast' and 'wrong' are Scandinavian loanwords.
<<Some would call Dutch a brugtaal (bridge-language): its simialrity to german is in its past; its closeness to English is its present and future. >>
It is wishful thinking. Dutch is a standardised Low German variety.
<<There are even parallel words like shirt - skirt (the latter Scandinavian) that can be explained by the Viking impact. Also, there are lots of Scandinavian place names in England, like those ending -by, e.g. Whitby (by is in Swedish 'village', in Danish and Norwegian 'city'). Even 'egg', 'take', 'cast' and 'wrong' are Scandinavian loanwords. >>
It is partially right,but Old Norse (Scandinavian) and Old English have many words in common.'By'is not borrowing from Old Nordse ('býr') ,it is an Old English word . There are many similar Old English and Old Norse words :
Apple tree-Old English apulder-Old Norse apaldr
Pagan God-Old English Oss-Old Norse Ás
Ash-Old English aesc,Old Norse askr
Beck-Old English baece,Old Norse bekkr
Old English lund-Old Norse lundr
Old English hroc-Old Norse hrokr
King-Old English cyning-Old Norse konungr
Horse-Old English hors-Old Norse hros
and so on.
These words are of Proto Germanic origin.
It is wishful thinking. Dutch is a standardised Low German variety.
<<There are even parallel words like shirt - skirt (the latter Scandinavian) that can be explained by the Viking impact. Also, there are lots of Scandinavian place names in England, like those ending -by, e.g. Whitby (by is in Swedish 'village', in Danish and Norwegian 'city'). Even 'egg', 'take', 'cast' and 'wrong' are Scandinavian loanwords. >>
It is partially right,but Old Norse (Scandinavian) and Old English have many words in common.'By'is not borrowing from Old Nordse ('býr') ,it is an Old English word . There are many similar Old English and Old Norse words :
Apple tree-Old English apulder-Old Norse apaldr
Pagan God-Old English Oss-Old Norse Ás
Ash-Old English aesc,Old Norse askr
Beck-Old English baece,Old Norse bekkr
Old English lund-Old Norse lundr
Old English hroc-Old Norse hrokr
King-Old English cyning-Old Norse konungr
Horse-Old English hors-Old Norse hros
and so on.
These words are of Proto Germanic origin.
<<Many similarities between English and Danish (and other Scandinavian languages) are due to the Viking era in Great Britain. There are even parallel words like shirt - skirt (the latter Scandinavian) that can be explained by the Viking impact. Also, there are lots of Scandinavian place names in England, like those ending -by, e.g. Whitby (by is in Swedish 'village', in Danish and Norwegian 'city'). Even 'egg', 'take', 'cast' and 'wrong' are Scandinavian loanwords. >>
Aye, true. So intimate was the relationship between the English and their Nordic cousins that even basic grammar can be viewed as an amalgam of Saxon and Scandinavian. When one considers that when we say "they are" we are speaking pure Norse, or that the "-en" on words like 'taken', 'chosen', 'broken' are Norse, and that the English third person singular ending -(e)s as in "makes", "sings" is Scandinavian one has to wonder if English is a Scandified Saxon tongue, or a Anglicised Norse tongue...
Aye, true. So intimate was the relationship between the English and their Nordic cousins that even basic grammar can be viewed as an amalgam of Saxon and Scandinavian. When one considers that when we say "they are" we are speaking pure Norse, or that the "-en" on words like 'taken', 'chosen', 'broken' are Norse, and that the English third person singular ending -(e)s as in "makes", "sings" is Scandinavian one has to wonder if English is a Scandified Saxon tongue, or a Anglicised Norse tongue...
Mount-O. E. beorg,O. Norse bjorgr
birk-beorc-björk
blue-blae-blár
castle-burg-borg
sword-brand-brándr
bridge-brycg-bryggja
valley,dale-dael-dalr
dove-duva-dufa
foot-fot-fotr
old-gamel-gamall
ghost-grimm-grimr
goat-haefer-hafr
hill-hwael-hvall
forest-sceaga-skogr
butter-smeoru-smörr
stone-stan-steinn
court-thing-thing
people-theod-thioth
village-thorp-thorp
authority-weald-vald
birk-beorc-björk
blue-blae-blár
castle-burg-borg
sword-brand-brándr
bridge-brycg-bryggja
valley,dale-dael-dalr
dove-duva-dufa
foot-fot-fotr
old-gamel-gamall
ghost-grimm-grimr
goat-haefer-hafr
hill-hwael-hvall
forest-sceaga-skogr
butter-smeoru-smörr
stone-stan-steinn
court-thing-thing
people-theod-thioth
village-thorp-thorp
authority-weald-vald