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Similarity to English? | ||
Tags: Germanic Languages | English | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| LittleKey Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5952 days ago 146 posts - 153 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: French, Japanese | Message 1 of 13 04 September 2008 at 1:25am | IP Logged |
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what languages are the most similar to English? grammar wise and/or word wise. i know Spanish has many similar words, but of course the grammar is totally different. isn't dutch kinda close to English? so yeah, what languages are very similar to English, and as an extension of that question, which would be the easiest for a native English speaker to learn?
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| Tigresuisse Triglot Senior Member SwitzerlandRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6005 days ago 182 posts - 180 votes Speaks: Italian*, English, German Studies: Russian | Message 3 of 13 05 September 2008 at 10:33am | IP Logged |
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German has much in common.
And yes, Dutch is quite close to English. For the question about the native English speaker learning one of those languages I can't help ... 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Ayane Newbie United States isby-girlfriend.smac Joined 6085 days ago 32 posts - 32 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Mandarin | Message 4 of 13 05 September 2008 at 10:14pm | IP Logged |
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Hmm, I think I read that Frisian (which is spoken in Belgium?) was the closest language to English...but yeah, Dutch definently sounds similar, to me anyway.
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| Chung Diglot Senior Member Joined 7156 days ago 4228 posts - 8259 votes 20 sounds Speaks: English*, French Studies: Polish, Slovak, Uzbek, Turkish, Korean, Finnish | Message 5 of 13 05 September 2008 at 11:00pm | IP Logged |
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Maybe Scots (but it depends on whether you count Scots as a distinct language or a dialect). Among comparative linguists, Frisian dialects (spoken on the Frisian Islands which form an archipelago extending along the shores of northern Holland, northwestern Germany and southwestern Denmark) are less controversial choices of most similar idioms to English.
- SCOTS Our Faither in Heiven, hallowt be thy name; thy Kingdom come, thy will be dune on the yird, as in heiven Gíe us our breid for this incommin day; forgie us the wrangs we hae wrocht as we hae forgíen the wrangs we hae dree'd; an sey-us-na sairlie, but sauf us frae the Ill Ane. - FRISIAN Us Heit yn 'e himel, lit jo namme hillige wurde, lit jo keninkryk komme, Lit jo wil dien wurde op ierde likegoed as yn 'e himel. Jou ús hjoed ús deistich brea en ferjou ús ús skulden sa't wy ús skuldners ek ferjûn hawwe; en lit ús net yn fersiking komme, mar ferlos ús fan 'e kweade; [want jowes is it keninkryk en de krêft en de hearlikheid oant yn ivichheid. Amen. - English Our father, which art in heaven: hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever and ever. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| dizzycloud Triglot Groupie United Kingdom Joined 6598 days ago 88 posts - 109 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, French Studies: Turkish | Message 6 of 13 06 September 2008 at 4:44pm | IP Logged |
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It's definitely Frisian in my opinion. The above example with the Lord's Prayer is perhaps a little different and much more difficult as it is 'older'..if you research Frisian vocabulary you will find it is very easy. I came across a Frisian text and it was easy enough to read like it is for, let's say, French speakers reading Italian.
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| thephilologist Tetraglot Newbie United States Joined 6034 days ago 26 posts - 29 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, German, French Studies: Portuguese | Message 7 of 13 10 September 2008 at 10:01pm | IP Logged |
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Of the major European languages, I would say Spanish is the most similar to English. The Romance languages have the most transparent vocabulary with English, and of these languages, the verb tenses of Spanish are most similar to those of English.
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| Bobber Diglot Newbie Denmark flamefusion.net Joined 5914 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: Danish*, English Studies: German, Spanish | Message 8 of 13 17 September 2008 at 3:23am | IP Logged |
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I feel the need to stress the similarities between the Scandinavian languages Swedish, Norwegian and Danish and English.
The Lord's Prayer in Danish: Fader vor, du som er i himlene! Helliget blive dit navn, komme dit rige, ske din vilje som i himlen således også på jorden; giv os i dag vort daglige brød, og forlad os vor skyld, som også vi forlader vore skyldnere, og led os ikke ind i fristelse, men fri os fra det onde. For dit er Riget og magten og æren i evighed! Amen. I will try to highlight some words, which are clearly related to their English counterparts. Fader = Father Vor = Our Du = You (think "thou") Er = Are I = In Helliget = Holy (really, just "hellig") Navn = Name Komme = Come Vilje = Will Også = Also (Også is pronounced "Owso'" Dag = Day Brød = Bread Led = Lead Ind = In Fri = Free Evighed = ever (really, just "evig) I am certain, that other Danish forum members would be able to pick out some more similar words, but I am in a semi-hurry and have to cut this short. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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