Here's a breakdown of how languages are related to German:
* Indo-European: The vast majority of European languages, and many others around the world, share a common ancestor called Proto-Indo-European.
* Germanic: Within Indo-European, Germanic languages are a branch, including English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and many others.
* West Germanic: Within Germanic, German, English, Dutch, Frisian, Yiddish, and Afrikaans belong to the West Germanic branch.
Therefore, languages like English, Dutch, Frisian, Yiddish, and Afrikaans are related to German, sharing a common ancestor further back in time. However, they did not "derive" directly from German. They all evolved from Proto-Germanic, and have developed their own unique features and branches over centuries.
Here's an analogy: Think of a family tree. German, English, Dutch, etc. are like cousins, sharing a common ancestor but developing their own individual characteristics over time.