Why is English the odd one out?

Every language has its quirks. It’s part of what makes linguistics such a fascinating area of study. Many languages also share a great deal of commonality, having descended from the same linguistic family tree. 

The language family tree

The Romance languages, for example, include Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian, Catalan and Romanian. All descended from Latin, these languages share many similarities. 

English also has a great many Latin influences in its words and grammar, but is actually a West Germanic language. This is why, despite many words in English having similar counterparts in the Romance languages, there are numerous English words that considered to be the odd ones out when compared with other languages that are used in geographically close locations. 

Some examples

Here are a few great examples of why English is the odd one out. 

English word	French	Spanish	Catalan	Portuguese	Italian	Romanian
Good	Bien	Bien	Bo	Boa	Buona	Bun
Bird	Oiseau	Pájaro	Ocell	Pássaro	Uccello	Pasăre
Christmas	Noël	Navidad	Nadal	Natal	Natale	Crăciun
Water	Eau	Agua	Aigua	Água	Acqua	Apă
Fish	Poisson	Pescado	Peix	Peixe	Pesce	Pește
Tree	Arbre	Árbol	Arbre	Ávore	Albero	Copac
Dog	Chien	Can	Gos	Cão	Cane	Câine

 

In many of these examples, the English word has far more in common with German, Dutch and Danish than it does with the languages of closer countries. For those living in England, this creates a linguistic divide between England and its nearest European neighbours. The same is true for those living in the US, where the majority of inhabitants in Central and South America speak Romance languages. 

Final thoughts

Such linguistic differences are part of the attraction of learning a new language. Discovering and understanding them, as well as uncovering unexpected similarities is an exciting and fascinating journey. 

Which are your favourite English words that vary wildly from those in the Romance languages? Let us know in the comments.