This is a history/linguistics question. Many linguists have said that common descent is the factor to determining what language family English belongs to. Take into account the common Latin descent of vocabulary, not just grammar and pronunciation. Of course I know it's mostly Germanic, but why is English not Romance even just a little bit? Thanks.
Responses (1)
If you take a Latin class you will notice that you already know about half the vocabulary for any other language you study. Rome never conquered the tribes on the east bank of the Rhine River. That is why there is such a difference between Romance and Germanic languages. English is Anglo-Saxon, meaning a blend of the Belgian province of Angull and the German territory of Saxony. England was occupied by the Roman army for a while.
Nobody else has been able to do that. Those various peoples didn't even use the same alphabet. Thee, thou, you, and ye are all the same word, just different alphabets.
so what are you saying?
I'm saying languages are not built, they grow. Linguists come along afterward and try to find order in a language, but that is like looking for order in a bush: maybe there is some and maybe not. So if you want to call English a romance language, ok, and if you want to call it a Germanic language, that's ok too. You just have to be able to support whatever you decide.
Eh, not really an answer, thanks anyway. And I want to add to that. I am not interested in the official family classes. I want to classify the true language families and tie them together in their historical roots.