Proto-Germanic

Proto-Germanic is the hypothetical common ancestor of all Germanic languages, including English, German, Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages. It was spoken roughly between 500 BCE and 500 CE, before these languages diverged. Linguists reconstruct its sounds, words, and grammar by comparing existing Germanic languages and identifying shared features. This ancestral language emerged from earlier Indo-European roots and evolved through interactions and migrations, shaping the diverse Germanic languages we recognize today. Think of Proto-Germanic as the "mother language" from which these related languages descended.