>Old English is more closely related to the Low Germanic languages such as
>Old Frisian, Flemish, and Old Low German than to Middle High German . The
>terms low and high stem from altitude, so in the North it was 'low' and in
>the South 'high'. This is a bit of an oversimplification as well, but
>certainly those languages are more closely related to Anglo-Saxon English.
>
>M. Bachofen
Thanks for that - I was unsure. I certainly didn't know it was altitude
related! I'd assumed it was a high or low 'class' distinction (very English
of me) like Greek demotic and karathevousa(?).
AndrewF
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