North Sea Germanic | |
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Ingvaeonic | |
Geographic distribution: | Originally the North Sea coast from Friesland to Jutland; today, worldwide |
Linguistic classification: | Indo-European
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Subdivisions: | |
The distribution of the primary Germanic languages in Europe in around AD 1:
North Sea Germanic, or Ingvaeonic
Weser-Rhine Germanic, or Istvaeonic
Elbe Germanic or Irminonic
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North Sea Germanic, also known as Ingvaeonic /ˌɪŋviːˈɒnɪk/, is a group of West Germanic languages that were first spoken in what is now northern Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark. They were also spread to the British Isles in the Migration Period. The languages were Old Frisian, Old English and Old Saxon. They have become other languages since then and spread worldwide, especially the modern English language.