Gothic compared to other germanic languages

[Fredrik]

Hi all!

At the time when gothic was spoken, how much did it differ from the 
other germanic languages in grammar and phonology?

One thing is the diphthongs, which gothic has. Didn't the other have 
these too? Both westgermanic and northgermanic?

And the same thing about the monophthongs.

The highgerman change of consonants, didn't happen after that gothic 
became extinct?

And the lack of umlaut, one thing which I've heard is a typical 
gothic thing. Didn't umlaut happen (in some germanic languages) at 
the time after gothic extinction?

So if gothic would have survived, it shouldn't be impossible that it 
would go through some of the changes which happen after.
If gothic would have survived in northern italy it would maybe have 
been influeced by the german consonant change, right?

Btw. how is fon = fire fixed in compound words?
E.g. fire storm = ?

/Fredrik





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