Here's what we know about Proto-Germanic:
* Time period: It's believed to have been spoken around the 5th century BCE, but its exact time frame is still debated by linguists.
* Location: While its precise location is uncertain, it's generally believed to have been spoken in southern Scandinavia or the North Sea coast of mainland Europe.
* Characteristics: It shared many features with other Indo-European languages, but also developed its own unique features. These included:
* Sound changes: Proto-Germanic underwent several sound shifts that differentiated it from other Indo-European languages. The most famous is Grimm's Law.
* Grammatical changes: Proto-Germanic developed a weaker inflectional system compared to other Indo-European languages, with a more prominent role for word order.
* Vocabulary: It included words that have become part of the core vocabulary of modern Germanic languages, such as *brōþēr* (brother), *sunu* (son), and *fōt* (foot).
How is Proto-Germanic reconstructed?
Linguists reconstruct Proto-Germanic through a process called comparative linguistics. This involves comparing the vocabulary and grammar of different Germanic languages and identifying shared features that are likely to have existed in their common ancestor.
While Proto-Germanic itself cannot be spoken or written, it is a crucial tool for understanding the history and relationships of Germanic languages.
Think of Proto-Germanic like a "family tree" of Germanic languages. It is the root from which all branches of the family tree grow.