![]() Wunderkind: in both languages, it denotes a kid of extraordinary ability for her own age.Noodle: the name of this kind of pasta comes from German Nudel.Rucksack: a less common English word for backpack, in German it literally means back pack.Kraut: clearly of Germanic origin, it denotes a type of cabbage in both English and German.Kindergarten: a not-so-common synonym for nursery, it literally means children’s garden in German.Hamster: a cute little pet rodent, its name is of Germanic origin and it’s the same in both tongues.Hinterland: this word denotes the backcountry (sparsely populated rural areas) in both languages.Feast: party revellers should know that… fest comes from German (e.g., Oktoberfest).Doppelgänger: also spelled doubleganger, it refers to either of two people whose physical traits resemble each other’s so much it almost looks unnatural.In German, the corresponding word is Delikatessengeschäft. Delicatessen: often shortened into deli, it denotes a shop selling delicacies.Cobalt: in both languages it denotes both the 27th element of the periodic table, and the bluish colour.Pretzel: the name of these delicious bread knots come directly from German B retzel. ![]() Bagel: the name of this bread (albeit of Jewish Polish origins), derives for Middle High German böugel, although they are commonly referred to as bagels in both German and English.Blitz: literally meaning lighting in both English and German, it is more commonly employed to refer to a swift (military) attack. ![]() English VS German: 16 common English words of German descent In fact, according to language statistics around 26% of English words are of Germanic origin. West Germanic was itself a descendent of the Pregermanic language, which eventually branched into West Germanic, East Germanic and North Germanic.Įast Germanic evolved into the Gothic language (with no modern language offspring), North Germanic evolved into Old Norse (from which modern Scandinavian languages come from), and West Germanic branched into Old English (from which modern English originated) and Common German (ancestor of Low and High German).Īs a result, we can certainly say that English and German share a common linguistic root. The common language which both English and German descend from is now known by the conventional term of West Germanic. This English VS German comparison should help German students feel more at ease when starting their English language course.Įnglish VS German: sibling languages with a common root Here we are going to tell a brief history of the two languages, and highlight the most common words of germanic origin in modern English. While English and German at a first glance might not seem similar at all, they actually share common linguistic origins. ![]()
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