There is no singular defining element, but the languages that English natives tend to view as harsh, including German, Dutch, and Russian, incorporate many noises made at the back of the throat .This can result in a more throaty, guttural noise which gives the language a stronger sound which others don't seem to have

• West Germanic: English, German, Dutch, and Frisian
• North Germanic: Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish
• East Germanic: Gothic, Burgundian, and Vandalic, which are now extinct.

The most widely spoken Germanic language, English, is also the world's most widely spoken language with an estimated 2 billion speakers.

All Germanic languages are derived from Proto-Germanic, spoken in Iron Age Scandinavia, Iron Age Northern Germany and along the North Sea and Baltic coasts.