Why is English called a germanic language?

Answer 1

Because it is closely related to German and the other Germanic languages. English is a descendant of Anglo-Saxon, the language which developed out of that spoken by a number of tribes from what is now northern Germany. Those tribes moved to Britain in large number when the Roman Empire let Britain go. They moved to Britain with the agreement of the remaining ex-Romans in Britain to act as protectors, but soon ended up in conflict. The ex-Roman Britons were pushed back to what is now Wales and Cornwall, and the Anglo-Saxons took the rest of England. Their German ancestry was forgotten by anyone who wasn't a historian. The descendants of the Anglo-Saxons eventually also conquered Cornwall (making it part of England) and Wales (which retained more of its own identity) The descendants of the ex-Roman Britons are now known as the Welsh, those of the Anglo-Saxons are known as the English.