Are the English more of Celtic or Germanic lineage?

Question

I've heard both that the English share the genetic similarities that the Welsh, Irish, and Scottish do to Celtic Iberians, but I've also heard that the English are more Germanic, from Nordic and Saxon origins. Can anyone shed any definitive light?

Answer 1

In order to really get to the heart of an answer to your question, you have to understand a looooong line of English (British) history.  Somewhere along the lines of 13,000 years ago the people that would later be known as the Celts (Britti, Picti, etc.) first started showing up on the island... before that there were different immigration waves as land bridges, glaciers etc. allowed.  These early Brits were eventually forced to live a warrior lifestyle, raiding each other, and fighting off not only each other, but also Scandinavians, Germans, French, and just about anyone else who could get an army to the island... Some English ARE from germanic origins as their family tree may go back to when the Anglo-Saxon armies invaded England, while others may have more French blood from the Norman invasions.  Others - particularly in the fringe areas like Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland, still have more Celtic blood - or at least they claim to.  The language is Germanic in origin, but the people of the England are as much mutts as any people who live in one place for enough generations.  

Answer 2

English is known to be a Germanic language.  Many German words are exactly the same in English.  Celtic?  Haven't heard one yet.

Answer 3

The English language is Germanic, not Celtic. The people of the British Isles have more Celtic blood than Germanic.

Answer 4

The English language may be Germanic but just because you speak a language does not mean you are a descendant of those who first spoke it, otherwise half the world would be 'germanic'.

    There are no celtic inscribed stones from the pre-saxon periods in England excepting Cornwall,so really we don't know what language they spoke or if there were different languages in different areas. 1 of the few 'celtic' tribes were know DID arrive in England was the Belgae from Belgium, and there is a possibility their language may have been germanic rather than celtic, perhaps the earliest English.

    It looks like the anglo saxons were probably a  ruling aristocracy who would have imposed their language, just as the Normans made French the official language of court for hundreds of years. Let's be honest--which would be easier to learn ,celtic languages or English. the difficulty any newcomers would have with more than simple celtic  words probably meant that it would be easier for the natives to adapt and hence communicate with those who were now their 'rulers'.

  There is a fair amount of viking descent in the England and the people of the scottish isles,and in parts of  Ireland as well.

It would be fair to say the English are basically celtic/pre-celtic (and dna studies bear this out), with a healthy dash of a few other peoples thrown into the mix.