When you hear the term lowland languages, you may wonder just why these languages have been named as such. After all, does this mean that they are less important than the others? Not at all. The term ‘lowland languages’ is just a geographical reference to where these languages developed. You see, back in the day, the flat and coastal regions in Northern Europe appealed to people who wanted to farm or trade. As such, many people moved to these areas, especially around the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, in search of these opportunities. And so, the population increased in areas such as:
Naturally, the people visiting and living in these places had to come up with a language of their own so that they could communicate effectively. And that birthed the lowland languages, which is what we will explain on this page.
While languages like English, Dutch, and German may seem different on paper, they actually have many similarities in reality. In fact, it’s quite easy for an English speaker to learn German and Dutch. But this is no coincidence since these languages share a common ancestor known as Proto-Germanic, and this is why they share many words and grammar. So, any language that has the same Proto-Germanic ancestry is said to belong to the Germanic family.
Now, how does this relate to the lowland languages? Well, many of them belong to the West Germanic branch, which includes languages such as English, Dutch, German, Scots, and Frisian. And that’s why they are said to be Germanic. However, it is important to note that there are many other language families, including Slavic, Austronesian, and Indo-Aryan. As such, not all lowland languages are Germanic, but many of them are.
While these languages may have the same ancestors, they have undergone many changes over the centuries. Some have been a result of geography, others have been due to politics, while others have been shaped by culture. And because of these and many other reasons, these languages have distinct differences.
To understand how lowland languages came to be, we have to go back to their origins. Back in the Middle Ages, there was a lot of trade taking place between the people who lived in the coastal regions. The farmers needed to communicate with the merchants. The merchants needed a way to talk to the sailors, and so on. Driven by this need, people came up with lowland languages.
Let’s use the example of Low German, which became the go-to during the Hanseatic League, which was a massive trade network. In Northern Europe, traders would use this as their main language to account for the differences in their native languages. And the more that people used it, the more ingrained it became in the region.
Interestingly, these languages were not learned by reading and writing. In fact, people rarely wrote them down and instead learned and passed on the languages orally. Over time, these languages changed, as follows:
Some languages became official languages. For example, we have Scots and Dutch, which evolved over time.
Some, like Low German, grew to become regional languages but did not make it to official status.
Others became ingrained in other languages. Take the example of Afrikaans, which was shaped by Dutch.
As such, these languages shaped our languages in both big and small ways, making them a key part of our history. In addition to lowland languages, our guides cover Panjabi (Indo-Aryan), Sama (Austronesian), and Boholano (Philippines), and other dialects around the world which have been shaped by cultures and geography.
Lowland languages have evolved over time, and many have their roots in the early medieval period and were shaped by the interacting communities. As such, local language versions emerged with different accents, vocabulary, and grammar. Let’s look at some examples:
Many other lowland languages exist, including Low Saxon (NDS) and Serbščina (Upper Sorbian), which we cover in our guides.
If you look at the history of lowland languages, you come to realize that these were languages developed and used by the everyday people – the farmers, the sailors, the merchants, and the coastal communities. These were not languages that were written and passed down to us by kings or scholars. And that’s what makes them so unique and fascinating.
They reflect what people’s lives were like. They show us just how powerful languages can be in facilitating communication and just how pivotal they were in trade and migration. They showcase the beauty of diversity and how we are all connected through history. And that’s why they are making a comeback as people seek to understand where they came from and what they can do to keep their traditions alive – and we are walking this journey with you, highlighting one lowland language at a time.
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Have you ever wondered why lowland languages sound so different? We explain how they came about and the factors influencing their evolution over time.