Reasons to Think That Anglo-Frisian Developed in Britain

Abstract

Linguistic evidence is adduced indicating that (as non-linguistic evidence long known also suggests) the origin of Anglo-Frisian goes back to a period of common development in SE Anglo-Saxon England around 475–525. The linguistic reason to think so is that almost every characteristic innovation of Anglo-Frisian has a plausible motivation in terms of influences from Brittonic. It seems that the later Frisians originated as Anglo-Saxons, occupying territory between Kentish and Pre-Mercian, who left England and went back to the continent, of course to the coast, around 540. The conclusion is that Frisian is similar to English because Frisian is descended from English.