The Germanic languages include some 58 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects that originated in Europe; this language family is part of the Indo-European language family. Each subfamily in this list contains subgroups and individual languages.
The standard division of Germanic is into three branches:
They all descend from Proto-Germanic, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European.
South Germanic languages, an attempt to classify some of the West Germanic languages into a separate group, is rejected by the overwhelming majority of scholars.
â denotes extinct languages.
West Germanic
- Proto-West Germanic
- High German languages
- Old High Germanâ & Middle High GermanâÂÂ
- Modern German
- Upper German
- High Franconian
- East Franconian
- South Franconian
- Alemannic
- Swabian, including Stuttgart
- Low Alemannic, including the area of Lake Constance and Basel German
- Alsatian
- Colonia Tovar German
- Central Alemannic
- Argentinien-schwyzertütsch
- Italian Walser
- High Alemannic, including Zürich German and Bernese German
- Highest Alemannic, including the Bernese Oberland dialects and Walliser German
- Bavarian
- Northern Bavarian (including Nuremberg)
- Central Bavarian (including Munich and Vienna)
- Southern Bavarian (including Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, and Bolzano, Italy)
- Hutterite German aka "Tirolean"
- Mócheno
- Cimbrian
- Central German
- West Central German
- Amana German
- Central Franconian
- Ripuarian Franconian
- Moselle Franconian
- Hunsrik
- Luxembourgish
- Transylvanian Saxon
- Rhine Franconian
- Hessian
- Palatine
- Pennsylvania German (spoken by the Amish and other groups in southeastern Pennsylvania
- Lorraine Franconian
- East Central German
- Thuringian
- Upper Saxon
- North Upper SaxonâÂÂSouth Markish
- Silesian
- Halcnovian
- Wymysorys (with a significant influence from Low Saxon, Dutch, Polish, and Scots)
- High Prussian
- Yiddish (with a significant influx of vocabulary from Hebrew and other languages, and traditionally written in the Hebrew alphabet)
- Eastern Yiddish
- Western Yiddish
- Low Franconian languages
- Old FrankishâÂÂ
- Old Low FranconianâÂÂ
- Old East Low Franconianâ / Old LimburgianâÂÂ
- Middle LimburgianâÂÂ
- Limburgian
- Old West Low Franconianâ / Old DutchâÂÂ
- Middle DutchâÂÂ
- Modern Dutch
- West Flemish
- East Flemish
- Zeelandic
- Central Dutch
- Hollandic
- Kleverlandish
- Brabantine
- Brusselian
- Stadsfries dialects
- Afrikaans (with a significant influx of vocabulary from other languages)
- Low German languages
- Old Saxonâ & Middle Low GermanâÂÂ
- Modern Low German
- West Low German
- Northern Low Saxon
- East Frisian Low Saxon
- Westphalian
- Eastphalian
- East Low German
- Brandenburgisch
- Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch
- Middle Pomeranian
- East Pomeranian
- Low Prussian
- Plautdietsch (Mennonite Low German, used also in many other countries)
- Anglo-Frisian languages
- Old FrisianâÂÂ
- Frisian
- West Frisian languages
- West Frisian language (spoken in the Netherlands)
- Clay Frisian (Klaaifrysk)
- Wood Frisian (Wâldfrysk)
- Noardhoeks
- South Frisian (Súdhoeks)
- Southwest Frisian (Súdwesthoeksk)
- Schiermonnikoogs
- Hindeloopers
- Aasters
- Westers
- East Frisian language (spoken in Germany)
- Saterland Frisian
- Wangerooge FrisianâÂÂ
- Wursten FrisianâÂÂ
- North Frisian language (spoken in Germany)
- Mainland Frisian
- Mooring
- Goesharde Frisian
- Wiedingharde Frisian
- Halligen Frisian
- Karrharde Frisian
- Island Frisian
- Söl'ring
- Fering
- ÃÂömrang
- Heligolandic
- Anglic
- English language (dialects)
- Old EnglishâÂÂ
- Middle Englishâ (significant influx of words from Old French)
- Early Modern EnglishâÂÂ
- Modern English
- British English (English English, including Northern English, East Midlands English, West Midlands English, Southern English, and others, Welsh English, Scottish English) and Irish English
- North American English (American English and Canadian English)
- Australian English and New Zealand English
- South African English
- Zimbabwean English
- South Asian English (Indian English)
- South East Asian English (Philippine English, Singapore English, Malaysian English)
- West Indian English (Caribbean English)
- Lowland Scots
- Early ScotsâÂÂ
- Middle ScotsâÂÂ
- Modern Scots
- Glasgow
- Northern Scots
- North Northern
- Black Isle and Easter Ross
- CromartyâÂÂ
- Mid Northern (North East Scots or the Doric)
- South Northern
- Central Scots
- Southern Scots
- Insular Scots
- Orcadian
- Shetland dialect
- Ulster Scots
- YolaâÂÂ
- FingallianâÂÂ
North Germanic
Ancestral classification
Alternate classification of contemporary North Germanic languages based on mutual intelligibility
East Germanic
See: East Germanic languages#Classification
External links
References