Visigothic

language

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

The Visigothic language was an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths. The Goths, originally from southern Scandinavia, migrated across Europe. Visigothic was one of two main dialects, the other being Ostrogothic. Most of what is known about the language comes from a 4th-century Bible translation by Ulfilas for the Visigoths along the Danube River.1

Visigothic is important for studying Germanic languages because its records predate others by about four centuries. It retains archaic features like the dual number in verbs and pronouns, and special vocative case forms in nouns, which are rare in other Germanic languages. The language likely died out in Spain after the Arab conquest in 711 CE.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

East Germanic languages
History
…information is the Gothic—more specifically, Visigothic—that was spoken along the western shore of the Black Sea about the middle of the 4th century ce.
Read More
…information is the Gothic—more specifically, Visigothic—that was spoken along the western shore of the Black Sea about the middle of the 4th century ce.
Read More

Gothic language
…and later in Italy) and Visigothic (in east central Europe and later in Gaul and Spain), grouped according to tribes. Most of the modern knowledge of Gothic is derived from the remains of the translation of the Bible into Gothic that was made by Ulfilas in the 4th century ce…
Read More
…and later in Italy) and Visigothic (in east central Europe and later in Gaul and Spain), grouped according to tribes. Most of the modern knowledge of Gothic is derived from the remains of the translation of the Bible into Gothic that was made by Ulfilas in the 4th century ce…
Read More