Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

Is English a Germanic language?

39 snips
Nov 26, 2025
Explore the debate on whether English can truly be classified as a Romance language. Discover its strong Germanic roots, the influence of Old Norse, and how Viking borrowings have shaped the language. Learn about linguistic phenomena like Grimm's Law and i-mutation, and uncover the fascinating impacts of Dutch and Yiddish on modern English. Delve into the intricacies of Germanic compounds and unique numbering systems, all while celebrating English's rich ability to adapt and incorporate from various linguistic sources.
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INSIGHT

English Is Fundamentally Germanic

  • English belongs to the Germanic branch of Indo-European and descends from Proto-Germanic roots.
  • Its grammatical backbone and many foundational words remain Germanic despite many borrowings.
INSIGHT

Common Words Carry The DNA

  • Although only ~26–33% of English words are Germanic by count, those include the most frequent and structural words.
  • The top 100 common words are overwhelmingly Germanic, forming English's functional core.
INSIGHT

Norse Rewrote Everyday Words

  • Old Norse/Viking contact replaced many Old English words with Norse forms across northern and eastern England.
  • Pronouns (they/their/them), take, egg, knife, window, and die reflect strong Norse influence.
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