Vocabulary:
Native Germanic words
The latest scholarly research has shown that Germanic has inherited and preserved many IE features in lexis.
The most ancient etymological layer in the Germanic vocabulary is made up of words shared by most IE languages. They refer to a number of semantic spheres: natural phenomena and animals, terms of kinship, verbs denoting basic activities of man, some pronouns and numerals.
Words which occur in Germanic alone and have no parallels outside the group constitute the specific features of the Germanic languages; they appeared in PG or in later history of separate languages from purely Germanic roots. Semantically, they also belong to basic spheres of life: nature, sea, home life.
Both etymological layers of the vocabulary – the IE and the specifically Germanic layer – are native words.
Borrowed words
In addition to native words the OG languages share some borrowings made from other languages. Some of the early borrowings found in all or most languages of the group must have been made at the time when the Germanic tribes lived close together as a single speech community, i.e. in Late PG. It is known that the name of the metal iron was borrowed from the Celtic languages in Late PG; cf. Celt isarno, Gt eisarn, О Icel isarn, OE isen, iren. (The Teutons may have learnt the processing of iron from the Celts.) Another is *walhaz "foreigner; Celt" from the Celtic tribal name Volcae with c → h and o → a. Other likely Celtic loans include *ambahtaz 'servant', *brunjōn 'mailshirt', *gīslaz 'hostage', *īsarna 'iron', *lēkijaz 'healer', *lauđan 'lead', *Rīnaz 'Rhine', and *tūnaz, tūnan 'fortified enclosure'. A large number of words could have been borrowed from Latin prior to the migration of West Germanic tribes to Britain. These words reflect the contacts of the Germanic tribes with Rome and the influence of the Roman civilization on their life; they mostly refer to trade and warfare; e.g.: L pondō, Goth pund, ОIcel pund, OE pund ‘pound’; L prunus, ОIcel р1ómа, OE plūme ‘plum’; L strata via, OHG strâza, OS strâta, OE stræt ‘street’.
From East Iranian have come *hanapiz 'hemp' (cf. Persian kanab), *humalaz, humalōn 'hops' (cf. Ossetian xumællæg), *keppōn ~ skēpan 'sheep' (cf. Pers čapiš 'yearling kid'), *kurtilaz 'tunic' (cf. Osset kwəræt 'shirt'), *kutan 'cottage' (cf. Pers kad 'house'), *paidō 'cloak',[18] *paþaz 'path' (cf. Avestan pantā, g. pathō), and *wurstwa 'work' (cf. Av vərəštuua).[19] These words could have been transmitted directly by the Scythians from the Ukraine plain, groups of whom entered Central Europe via the Danube.
Most important features distinguishing Germanic languages
Fixed stress
Vowel shift
First Consonant Shift: Grimm’s & Verner’s Laws
“Strong” versus “weak” adjectives
Two tense verbal system: past and present
Dental suffix for the past tense
Unique Germanic vocabulary