[color=#000000
ost_uid0][quote
ost_uid0="Sa'ar Chasm"]Well, Dutch is the closest living language to English (closest dead language is Frisian).[/quote
ost_uid0]
from dictionary.com:
[quote
ost_uid0]Fri·sian   ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (frzhn, frzhn) also Frie·sian (frzhn)
n.
1. A native or inhabitant of the Frisian Islands or Friesland.
2. The West Germanic language of the Frisians. It is the language most closely related to English.[/quote
ost_uid0]
and:
[quote
ost_uid0]dead language
n.
A language, such as Latin, that is no longer learned as a native language by a speech community.[/quote
ost_uid0]
[img
ost_uid0]http://boards1.wizards.com/images/smilies/teach.gif[/img
ost_uid0] Friesland is a province of the Netherlands and Frisian is, alongside Dutch, still their native language.
So, according to these definitions, Frisian is not a dead language. Â
[/color
ost_uid0]