Old English sounded more like German than modern English
Old English, the language of Anglo-Saxon England, shared a surprising phonetic and structural resemblance to German, far more than the English we speak today.
Imagine English sounding like German! Old English, spoken by Anglo-Saxons from the 5th to 11th centuries, was strikingly similar to modern German in its sounds, grammar, and words. As a West Germanic language, it featured guttural sounds and complex inflections, much like German. For example, 'house' was 'hus,' akin to German 'Haus.' This resemblance comes from their shared Germanic roots. The Norman Conquest of 1066 introduced French influences, drastically changing English. This fascinating evolution shows how conquests and cultural exchanges reshape languages, transforming a rugged Germanic dialect into today's global lingua franca.