protoLänsigermaanisen

ProtoLänsigermaanisen, often abbreviated as PLG, is the reconstructed common ancestor of the West Germanic languages. It is a hypothetical language and not a directly attested one, meaning scholars have pieced it together by comparing its descendant languages. The primary evidence for protoLänsigermaanisen comes from Gothic, Old English, Old Saxon, Old High German, and Old Dutch. Linguistic reconstruction involves identifying systematic sound correspondences and grammatical similarities between these languages to infer the features of their common progenitor.

The reconstruction of protoLänsigermaanisen is a complex endeavor involving comparative linguistics. Scholars analyze sound changes that occurred after the divergence of the West Germanic dialects. For example, the Proto-Germanic *p, *t, *k sounds often correspond to *f, *þ, *h in West Germanic languages, a phenomenon known as West Germanic Consonant Gradation. Grammatical features such as the loss of certain case endings and the development of a strong/weak verb distinction are also considered crucial indicators of protoLänsigermaanisen. While its exact geographical location and the precise timeline of its existence are debated, it is generally believed to have been spoken in Northern Europe before the Migration Period. The study of protoLänsigermaanisen is fundamental to understanding the historical development and relationships within the West Germanic language family.