Some languages are closely related to each other, while others are more distant from "summary" of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language by David Crystal
Languages can be classified into different categories based on their similarities and differences. Some languages share a common ancestry and therefore exhibit significant similarities in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and phonology. These languages are said to be closely related to each other. For example, English, German, and Dutch are all members of the Germanic language family, which explains why they share many linguistic features. On the other hand, there are languages that have diverged significantly from each other over time and therefore exhibit fewer similarities. These languages are considered more distant or unrelated. For instance, English and Chinese belong to different language families – Germanic and Sino-Tibetan, respectively – and therefore have very little in common in terms of linguistic structure. The concept of language relatedness is crucial in understanding the historical development and evolution of languages. By studying the relationships between different languages, linguists can trace back ...
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