File:North_germanic_languages.svg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
North Germanic
Also known as Scandinavian languages, Nordic languages, North Germanic languages, Scandinavian, Nordic, Norse languages
branch of the Germanic languages spoken in the Nordic countries, Estonia, Germany, and Scotland
AI overview
North Germanic refers to a group of related languages spoken primarily in the Nordic countries, Estonia, Germany, and Scotland. These languages matter because they're spoken by millions of people across Northern Europe and help define the linguistic and cultural identity of their regions.
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Wikidata facts
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- Commons category
- North Germanic languages
- P8168
- Sirkenli
- short name
- Nordisch
~30 min read
Article
The North Germanic languages are one of the three branches of the Germanic languages—a sub-family of the Indo-European languages—along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is also referred to as the Nordic languages, a direct translation of the most common term used among Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Swedish scholars and people.
The term North Germanic languages is used in comparative linguistics, whereas the term Scandinavian languages appears in studies of the modern standard languages and the dialect continuum of Scandinavia. Danish, Norwegian and Swedish are close enough to form a strong mutual intelligibility where cross-border communication in native languages is very common, particularly between the latter two.