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Is the definition of English as a “French-German creole” (or even a romance-germanic creole) at all mainstream in linguistics? I was under the impression that mainstream linguistics classifies modern English firmly as West Germanic, and discounts the Normans’ infusion of French vocabulary into it as inconsequential.
I don't know about that but definition, creole, romance, impression, classifies, modern, firmly, discounts, and infusion all have french origins.
My headcanon theory is indeed that English is a creole language.
Mix the grammar, verbes and functional words of the lower-status people (natives, imported slaves) and nouns of the higher-status people (invaders, colonizers and masters) and boom, after a few generations you get a creole language.
This theory works surprisingly as well for English as for, for example, Caribbean creoles.