Anglo-Frisian languages

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Anglo-Frisian Insular Germanic
Geographic distribution:	Originally, the North Sea coast from Friesland to Jutland; today worldwide
Genetic classification:	Indo-European  Germanic   West Germanic    Anglo-Frisian
Subdivisions:	Anglic Frisian

The Anglo-Frisian languages (sometimes Insular Germanic) are a group of Ingvaeonic West Germanic languages consisting of Old English, Old Frisian, and their descendants. The Anglo-Frisian family tree is:

• Anglo-Frisian
  • Anglic group (Insular Anglo-Frisian)
    • Modern English
    • Scots
    • Yola
  • Frisian group (Continental Anglo-Frisian)
    • West Frisian
    • Saterland Frisian (East Frisian)
    • North Frisian

The Anglo-Frisian languages are distinguished from other West Germanic languages partially by the Ingvaeonic nasal spirant law and by the palatalization of Proto-Germanic *k to a coronal affricate before front vowels: cf. English cheese and Frisian tsiis to Dutch kaas and German Käse, or English church and Frisian tsjerke to Dutch kerk and German Kirche. Early Anglo-Frisian formed a Sprachbund with Old Saxon, which is counted among the Low German languages.

The German linguist Friedrich Maurer rejected Anglo-Frisian as a historical subdivision of the Germanic languages. Instead, he proposed North Sea Germanic or Ingvaeonic, a common ancestor of Old Frisian, Old English and Old Saxon. This view has gained wide acceptance in historical linguistics.

[edit] Examples

Compare the words for the numbers one to ten in the Anglo-Frisian languages.

Language 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 English one two three four five six seven eight nine ten Scots ane yae twa thrie fower five sax sex seiven aicht aucht nyne neen ten West Frisian ien twa trije fjouwer fiif seis sân acht njoggen tsien Saterland (Sealtersk) aan twäi twäin twoo träi fjauwer fieuw säks soogen oachte njugen tjoon North Frisian (Mooring) iinj ån tou tuu trii tra fjouer fiiw seeks soowen oocht nüügen tiin