Which languages are included in the West Germanic branch?

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The West Germanic branch of the Germanic languages consists of six modern standard languages that evolved from local dialects in the regions of the North Sea, the Rhine-Weser, and the Elbe.1

These languages are:

Historically, this grouping is recognized due to shared linguistic affinities between the North Sea Germanic and South Germanic dialect groups, which emerged during the fragmentation of the larger Northwest Germanic dialect continuum.12