Not many
people all over the world may be as familiar with the German language
as English, but German is a ‘parent language’ of English,
with an important role in the origin of the language. To trace back
the history of German also leads to explore the roots of English. We
have had an interview with Ms Ute Walker, former chair of Manawatu Ethnic
Council as well as a senior lecturer at
International Pacific College, who has substantial, profound knowledge
of languages, including both German and English.
‘English
was evolved out of German’
— Could you tell us about the history of the German
language, how it evolved?
The German language originated from a group of languages called
Indo-Germanic languages. This means it is related to Swedish, Dutch
and English which also belong to that group. The name ‘Deutsch’
(pronounced ‘do-i-tch’, meaning ‘Germany’ in German)
comes from a name of one of the many Germanic tribes which existed long
before the German nation state emerged the 19th century. Today, German
has a rich range of different dialects.
— So German has developed under the influences
of other languages, but has German itself had any effects on any other
languages?
Yes, English for example. The Germanic peoples moved across the European
continent. About 1500 years ago, the northern tribes, particularly the
Angles and the Saxons crossed the North Sea where they invaded along
the British shore. They settled down and in time their language and
culture became a strong influence – the beginning of the 'anglo-saxon
world'. The native Celts and Britons had their own languages but they
were pushed back to the West where the Welsh language still exists today.
This is how German became the basis of English. Old English
was very close to Old German. If you look at the words and structures
of Old English, you can see a lot of similarities. About nine hundred
years ago, it was similar enough that those who spoke old English and
Old German could probably have understood and communicated with each
other. 
Since
then, English has gone through a lot of changes and simplifications.
After more invasions by the French and Vikings it was influenced by
other languages such as French and the Scandinavian languages.
We can find the traces of German in English. Many English
speakers now may not know why some English words contain 'strange' spellings
as in the word ‘knight’ which originates from German. The
‘gh’ is not pronounced in modern English but the German equivalent
‘Knecht’ (k-ne-cht) still retains the original sound. Today,
about 85% of the original Old German vocabulary has been lost but words
like kin, wife and house are still there to remind of the Germanic beginnings
of English.
