How did countries in Europe, develop complex distinct languages between each other? Despite them being so close?
In: 37
Time and isolation. You have to remember that back in the day, aside from a small minority of merchants and noblemen, most people would have stayed put in the place of their birth. This means that over time, their dialects drift enough to become different languages. Then add wars that can kill off border populations (who would speak an intermediate), and epidemics that would cause general disorder and mixing of people and dialects into something new and distinct. Then add foreign invasions introducing a completely new language to the mix.
Eventually, add nationalism to crystallise and exaggerate any prior differences.
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