Anglic languages

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Anglic
Anglian
Geographic
distribution:
originally Great Britain, now worldwide
Genetic
classification
:
Indo-European
 Germanic
  West Germanic
   Anglo-Frisian
    Anglic
Subdivisions:


Anglic (from Latin Anglicus meaning English, cf. Germanic) is a term for what are also known as Englishes, in for example World Englishes or New Englishes, and is considered a less Anglo-centric cover term than English for any variety descended from Old English.

It is often used where the implication is that varieties like Scots are separate languages, rather than dialects of English.

[edit] Anglic languages

From the above arises the concept of Anglic languages (also called Anglian languages), one of the two branches of Anglo-Frisian languages, itself a branch of West Germanic. The Anglic languages include Old English and its descendants. The family tree is:

Old English: Northumbrian, Mercian, Kentish, West Saxon.
Early Northern Middle English Early Midland and South-Eastern Middle English Early Southern and South-Western Middle English
Early Scots Northern Middle English Midland and South-Eastern Middle English Southern and South-Western Middle English
Middle Scots Metropolitan Early Modern English Irish Yola and Fingalian
Modern Scots Modern Northern English dialects Modern Midlands English dialects Modern Standard English Modern Southern and South-Western English dialects

[edit] Other uses

Anglic also refers to the two Anglian dialects of Old English, namely Northumbrian and Mercian.

Anglic was also a simplified form of spelling intended to make the language more accessible to an international audience. It was invented in 1930 by the Swedish philologist R. E. Zachrisson.

[edit] See also

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