Traditional classification

Rasmus Rask sets up two groups, Scandinavian and Germanic (which includes Gothic).

Jacob Grimm divides them into 4 groups: 1) the Goths, together with the Gepides, the Herulians and the Vandals; 2) the Lombards, the Bavarians, the Burgundians, the Alemannians and the Franks; 3) the Saxons, the Westphalians, the Frisians and the Angles; 4) the Scandinavians.

The traditional tripartite division of Germanic languages was first proposed by August Schleicher (1821-1868).

North Germanic languages: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese.

East Germanic languages: Gothic, Vandalic, Burgundian.

West Germanic languages: Germanic, English, Dutch, Afrikaans, Frisian, Yiddish, Flemish.

Historical classification

According to one hypothesis, primarily Late PGmc split into two groups:

1) a ggw group, including the so-called East and North Gmc dialects, in which ggw developed from wtv, and ddj or ggj from j;

2) a ww group, corresponding to the West Germanic dialects, in which ww were maintained.

Konig's Atlas represents disintegration of Lab PGmc into five direct ascendants: 1) East Germanic, 2) North Gennanic, 3) Elbt Gennanic, 4) Weser-Rhine Gennanic and 5) North-Sea Germanic.

I. East Gmc tribes: heruli, rugii, gepidi, gutones, burgundiones, vandali, bastamae.

II. Elbe-Gmc: langobardi, semiones, hermunduri, marcomanni, quadi.

III. Weser-Rhine Gmc: hatavi, chamavi, chasuarn, angrivarii, bructeri, cherusci, marsi, chattuarii, chatti, tencteri-usipi, treveri, vangiones, nemetes, triboci.

IV. North Gmc: gautae.

V. North-Sea-Gmc: teutoni, charudes, eudoses, anglii, saxones, frisii, chauci.

To sum up, the evolution of Common Germanic into ancient Germanic dialects may be represented in the foltowing steps:

1) Proto-Germanic split into Scandinavian (North) and South (continental) groups;

2) The emergence of East Germanic branch (3-1 cc. BC), opposed to South (West) Germanic from the Elbe to the Rhine rivers. Also possible is the emergence of East Gmc'not from North Gmc, but directly from PGmc;

3) Separate development of Gothic during the migration of tlie Goths in the direction of the Black Sea steppes (2-3 cc. AD);

4) The emergence of an Ingveonic group, disintegration of West Gmc and Scaiulinavian (4-5 cc.);

The inigration of the Angles, Saxons and Jules tu the British Isles and the rise of Old Engtish (5-1 cc-), Kolonisation of Denmark;

Tlie migration of the Saxons from the North Sea in the south-westem direction (4-5 cc.); The migration of the Emiinones from the Lower and Middle Elbe to the south of Germany; Western expansion of the Franks and unification under the Frankish power of the Franks (Istveonic), Alemannians and Bavarians (Erminonic) and some others to form Old High German; Old Saxon gave rise to Plattdeutsch; Separation of Scandinavian from continental Germanic (5 c.), colonisation of Jutland by the Danes and Iceland by the Norsemen; the rise of Old Swedish, Old Danish, Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic.

Reconstruction of Proto-Germanic