Anglo-Frisian languages

Anglo-Frisian Insular Germanic
Geographic distribution:	Originally, the British Isles and 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)
    • English
    • Scots
    • Yola (extinct)
  • 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, Anglo-Frisian brightening and by the palatalization of Proto-Germanic *k to a coronal affricate before front vowels: cf. English cheese and West Frisian tsiis to Dutch kaas and German Käse, or English church and West Frisian tsjerke to Dutch kerk and German Kirche. Early Anglo-Frisian formed a Sprachbund with Old Saxon, which is counted among the Low Saxon-Low Franconian 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.

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 ae twa three fower five sax sieven aicht nine ten Yola oane twye dhree vowér veeve zeese zebbem ayght neene dhen West Frisian ien twa trije fjouwer fiif seis sân acht njoggen tsien Saterland Frisian (Seeltersk) aan twäi twäin twoo träi fjauwer fieuw säks soogen oachte njugen tjoon North Frisian (Mooring dialect) iinj ån tou tuu trii tra fjouer fiiw seeks soowen oocht nüügen tiin