How many types of Germanic languages are there? What are the differences between them? Are they similar at all?

Massimo Saracino

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Following

Knows English

There are four groups of Germanic languages, with a high or partial intelligibility within each group, but poor intelligibility between groups.

The first group includes English and Scots.

The second groups include German, Yiddish, Swiss-German, Austro-Bavarian, and Luxembourgish.

The third group includes Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans, Frisian, and Plattdüutsch (Low German).

The forth group includes the Nordic Germanic languages: Swedish, Norwegian (both variants), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic.

This map shows the Germanic languages in their current presence as first language in Europe, showing for Germany the areas where traditionally Austro-Bavarian and Plattdüutsch were spoken (German, i.e. Hochdeutsch, is based on Central German). The only missing Germanic languages in the map are Afrikaans, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish; Swiss-German is doubtfully clustered with Austro-Bavarian; the red line defines the region of Nordic Germanic languages.