Is the English language German based?

Answer 1

not really German based, but it's roots are from German language. the English people are germanic tribes that migrated to England, and the word "angle" where the word England came from, is the name of the germanic tribe that came to England

1. The Angles & Saxons, two germanic tribes, invaded the british isles a few hundred years after the Romans had withdrawn (leaving "romanized" Celtic tribes south of Hadrian's Wall and "native" Celtic tribes north of it). The Anglo-Saxons rapidly pushed the Celtic peoples west, occupy most of the british isles. The Anglo-Saxon language became what is now called Old English. (Old English is a dialect of German.)
2. The Vikings, a collection of different Norse tribes, raided the british isles (both English and Celtic parts), France, and other parts of Europe repeatedly over several hundred years. At the end of these raiding periods many Vikings chose to settle and become farmers, so they sent for their families and most settled in the northeast (Northumbria and the Danelaw). Over time the Norse farmers and the English farmers began trade, but language differences interfered. However both the Norse family of languages and Germanic family of languages are Teutonic languages and most of their root words are identical even though prefixing/suffixing rules and word genders differed. By dropping these prefixing/suffixing rules and word genders and just using root words, both groups of farmers could communicate and trade better. The resulting language became what is now called Middle English. (Middle English is not a dialect of German, but is still a Teutonic language.)
3. In 1066 the Norman French invaded England from Normandy (a part of north west France that had been settled by Vikings calling themselves "Normans" at the end of the raiding period). This injected many French words into English. By the time of Shakespeare the language became what is now called Modern English. (Modern English, though a language whose roots are Germanic/Teutonic includes components of Romantic languages and is forever reaching to absorb anything it can from any language it can.) Modern English's flexibility of rules and mix of words from different sources often make it very hard for nonnative speakers to learn.