Table of Contents
How was Proto-Germanic reconstructed?
The Proto-Germanic language is not directly attested by any coherent surviving texts; it has been reconstructed using the comparative method….Proto-Germanic language.
| Proto-Germanic | |
|---|---|
| Lower-order reconstructions | Proto-Norse (attested) |
How do we know there was a Proto-Germanic even though we do not have written records of it?
It is a descendant of Proto-Indo-European. No written records of Proto-Germanic exist except for the disputed word harja in the Vimose inscription from 160 AD (likely too late to be considered Proto-Germanic), but the words and grammar of the language have been reconstructed by linguists.
Which Germanic language is most similar to Proto-Germanic?
The Scandanavian languages are somewhat conservative (at least in terms of vocabulary) and faroese/Icelandic..by FAR the most conservative, probably closest to proto-Germanic.
How many cases does Proto-Germanic have?
Five cases are reconstructed for Proto-Germanic, with traces of a sixth; these are: nominative, vocative, genitive, dative, accusative, and instrumental. The nominative is the case used to indicate the subject, and never follows a preposition. The vocative is the case of address.
What is the relationship between Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Germanic?
Indo-European and Germanic are language families, not individual languages, and Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Germanic are each the single language that is the reconstructed most recent common ancestor of all of the languages in their respective language family.
Is polish a Germanic language?
The Polish language belongs to the Slavic language family, which is the third-largest language family in Europe behind the Romance languages and the Germanic languages. All of these language families descend from proto-Indo-European, and they’ve continued to splinter over time.
What languages descended from Proto-Germanic?
All Germanic languages are derived from Proto-Germanic, spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia. The West Germanic languages include the three most widely spoken Germanic languages: English with around 360–400 million native speakers; German, with over 100 million native speakers; and Dutch, with 24 million native speakers.
Where did Proto-Germanic come from?
Q: How did Proto-Germanic arise from Proto-Indo-European? The Proto-Germanic language most probably developed as Proto-Indo-European speakers moved westward into Europe. The idea is that this arose in southern Scandinavia or that Proto-Germanic arose on the mainland, somewhere around Denmark and the Elbe River.