
A few months ago I received a lovely email from Robertson B. Kunz with the request to review his book called ‘Comparative Grammar of German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Yiddish and Frisian’.
My initial thought was “Why would I want to advertise a book that teaches German grammar when I teach German grammar myself?”
My second thought was “What? This book teaches grammar of FIVE languages all in one go! Absolutely mad!”
But I was also intrigued and did a little research about this Robertson B. Kunz. On his website I read that “he studies Spanish, German, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Teochew, Korean, Arabic, Sanskrit, French and Italian.”
That’s quite impressive, I doubt I could do that!
Then I found his video about this book and after watching the video I replied to his email with a ‘yes, please’.
I’m so glad I did! This is a fascinating book.
This page contains affiliate links to Amazon. It means I’ll get a few pence if you buy anything – at no extra cost to you.
Anybody who is interested in language learning and history will enjoy the first part of the book, which is about the history and development of German, Dutch, Africaans,Yiddish and Frisian plus dialects.
Over the years of teaching German I heard so many complaints from students about German grammar. ‘Why is German grammar like X (insert anything you’re struggling with) when it’s so easy in English?’
‘There are your answers’ I thought while reading about the history. Especially when you compare the history of those five languages.
One of the reasons was (and still is) that people travelled, whether for positive or negative reasons, and brought with them new words. It’s probably all stuff we know anyway if we’d think about it, but often we don’t and then just wonder why language X is so different to language Z.
When I moved to the UK, I don’t think I brought any German words with me which have been incorporated into the English language. But when my graddaughter was born last year, I became Oma, not granny.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only Oma in the UK 😊
The book then has a great grammar overview. It covers nouns, the use of articles/ gender/ cases, adjectives, pronouns, verbs in all the tenses, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and numbers.
Seeing everything he covers for all five languages together is brilliant as you can spot lots of similarities.
Here are a few screenshots. Two of them also show illustration because I like them very much (all of them, not just those two!)

I particularly enjoyed the Germanic language conversation. A conversation in a café between 5 people, who all speak in their own language. I understood what the German and Dutch persons said and was able to guess a lot of the Frisian, Yiddish and Africaans sentences. Over the next few pages I was able to read the same conversation in English to check how much I understood.
The book finishes with lots of basic Germanic language sentences and finally more difficult Germanic language comparisons. Those also include Scots, Lower Saxon and Luxembourgish.
Oh, and there is also a free link to the audio, where you can hear all those sentences.
Is it a good learning tool?
Although the book covers a lot of grammar, it doesn’t cover everything. For example, it only covers the future tense with werden. For language comparisons it makes sense, but ‘in real life’ Germans rarely use the future tense with werden. Instead we use the present tense with a time phrase.
Another example: It only mentions eight prepositions. Again, for comparisons it doesn’t matter, but maybe a small note would have been good to advise a learner that there are many more.
On Amazon you can read:
Have you ever been curious about learning German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Yiddish, and Frisian? What if you could master all five languages at the same time?
Now you can! Dive into the “Comparative Grammar of German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Yiddish, and Frisian: Learn 5 Germanic Languages at the Same Time.” This groundbreaking book presents, for the first time, a comparative journey through the grammar of these five languages, uncovering both their unique traits and shared foundations, and guiding you to fluency through their parallels and distinctions.
- Clarity Through Comparison: Master the intricacies of five Germanic languages simultaneously with our comparative approach. This method allows you to see complex grammar points in context, observing how each language handles essential structures, from sentence formation to verb conjugation, illuminating patterns that make each language easier to learn.
- Easy To Understand Graphics: Visual learners rejoice! Our book is filled with meticulously designed charts, tables, and illustrations that clarify the grammar structures. These visuals make abstract concepts tangible, allowing you to understand and retain difficult grammar points at a glance.
- Rich Examples Galore: Immerse yourself in hundreds of examples that breathe life into grammar lessons. Each example sentence is crafted to reflect real linguistic contexts, helping you understand how each language functions in everyday conversation and cultural expression. With over 400+ pages of examples, you’ll gain a deep, practical understanding of each language.
- Beyond Basics: Expand your knowledge further with a special section on Scots, Low Saxon, and Luxembourgish. This additional material offers insights into these related languages, providing a fuller picture of the Germanic linguistic landscape and enriching your comprehension of the Germanic language family tree.
I wholeheartedly agree with this text, apart from the claim that you could “master all five languages at the same time”. It takes more than that book to master the German language (and I’m pretty sure, the other 4 languages as well), but it is a fantastic reference and history book.
So, if you are a language and/ or history enthusiast, check out ‘Comparative Grammar of German, Dutch, Afrikaans, Yiddish and Frisian’ (Clicking on the link will take you to your Amazon platform). It’s available in paperback and Kindle version.

If you already know German or any of the other languages, you’ll enjoy reading about them. If you always wanted to learn one of those languages but couldn’t decide which one, this book is a fantastic introduction. And if it made you want to take your German learning further, you can always ask me 😉
“Language learning is not a mere hobby but a lifestyle I seek to embody.”
Robertson B. Kunz