NationMaster - Encyclopedia: History of the German language

The history of the German language as separate from common West Germanic begins in the Early Middle Ages with the High German consonant shift. Old High German, Middle High German and Early Modern High German span the duration of the Holy Roman Empire. The 19th and 20th centuries saw the rise of Standard German and a decrease of dialectal variety. German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... West Germanic is the largest branch of the Germanic family of languages, including such languages as English, Dutch, and German. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... In historical linguistics, the High German consonant shift or Second Germanic consonant shift (German: hochdeutsche or zweite germanische Lautverschiebung) was a phonological development (sound change) which took place in the southern dialects of German in several phases, probably beginning between the 3rd and 5th centuries AD, and was almost complete... Old High German is the earliest recorded form of the modern German language, and was spoken from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century. ... Middle High German is an ancestor of the modern German language, and was spoken from 1050 to about 1500. ... Early Modern High German (FrÃ¼hneuhochdeutsch), is the direct ancestor of the modern German language, and was used from 1350 to 1650. ... This page is about the Germanic empire. ... German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ...

1 Old High German
2 Old Low German
3 Middle High German
4 Middle Low German
5 Early Modern High German
6 19th century
7 20th century
8 See also

Old High German

Main article: Old High German

The earliest testimonies of Old High German are from scattered Elder Futhark inscriptions, especially in Alemannic, from the 6th century, the earliest glosses (Abrogans) date to the 8th and the oldest coherent texts (the Hildebrandslied, the Muspilli and the Merseburg Incantations) to the 9th century. Old Saxon at this time belongs to the North Sea Germanic cultural sphere, and Low German should fall under German rather than Anglo-Frisian influence during the Holy Roman Empire. Old High German is the earliest recorded form of the modern German language, and was spoken from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century. ... Old High German is the earliest recorded form of the modern German language, and was spoken from the middle of the 9th to the end of the 11th century. ... The 24 runes of the Elder Futhark The Elder Futhark (or Elder FuÃ¾ark, Older Futhark, Old Futhark) are the oldest form of the runic alphabet, used by Germanic tribes for Proto-Norse and other Migration period Germanic dialects of the 2nd to 8th centuries for inscriptions on artefacts (jewellery... The term Alemannic can have several meanings. ... This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century. ... Abrogans, also Codex Abrogans, is probably the oldest book in the German language. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... The Lay of Hildebrand (Das Hildebrandslied), is a unique example of Old German alliterative poetry, written about the year 800 on the first and last pages of a theological manuscript by two monks of the monastery of Fulda. ... The Muspilli is one of the sole two substantial surviving fragments of Old High German epic poetry (the other being the Hildebrandslied), dating to ca. ... The Merseburg Incantations The Merseburg Incantations (German: die Merseburger ZaubersprÃ¼che) are two medieval magic formulae or incantations, written in Old High German. ... As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was that century that lasted from 801 to 900. ... Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is a Germanic language. ... The Anglo-Frisian languages (also known as Ingvaeonic languages, North Sea Germanic languages or sometimes Insular Germanic) are a group of West Germanic languages consisting of Old English, Old Frisian, and their descendants. ... Low German (also called Plattdeutsch, PlattdÃ¼Ã¼tsch or Low Saxon) is a name for the regional language varieties of the Low Germanic languages spoken mainly in northern Germany, southern Denmark and eastern Netherlands. ... The Anglo-Frisian languages (also known as Ingvaeonic languages or North Sea Germanic languages) are a group of West Germanic languages consisting of Old English, Old Frisian, and their descendants. ... This page is about the Germanic empire. ...

Old Low German

Main article: Old Low German

Old Saxon, also known as Old Low German, is a Germanic language. ...

Middle High German

Main article: Middle High German

Middle High German is an ancestor of the modern German language, and was spoken from 1050 to about 1500. ...

Middle Low German

Main article: Middle Low German

The Middle Low German language is an ancestor of the modern Low German. It was spoken from about 1100 to 1500, splitting into West Low German and East Low German. The neighbour languages within the dialect continuum of the West Germanic languages were Middle Dutch in the West and Middle High German in the South, later substituted by Early Modern High German. Middle Low German was the lingua franca of the Hanseatic League, spoken all around the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Based on the language of Lübeck, a standardized written language was developing, though it was never codified. The Middle Low German language is an ancestor of the modern Low German language, and was spoken from about 1100 to 1500. ... Low German (also called Plattdeutsch, PlattdÃ¼Ã¼tsch or Low Saxon) is a name for the regional language varieties of the Low Germanic languages spoken mainly in northern Germany, southern Denmark and eastern Netherlands. ... Events William II of England dies in a hunting accident - Henry I becomes King of England King Henry I proclaims the Charter of Liberties, one of the first examples of a constitution. ... 1500 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... West Low German is a group of PlattdÃ¼Ã¼tsch dialects spoken in Northwest Germany and East Netherlands. ... East Low German dialects are spoken in north eastern parts of Germany as well as by minorities in northern Poland. ... A dialect continuum is a range of dialects spoken across a large geographical area, differing only slightly between areas that are geographically close, and gradually decreasing in mutual intelligibility as the distances become greater. ... West Germanic is the largest branch of the Germanic family of languages, including such languages as German, English and Dutch. ... Linguistically speaking, Middle Dutch is no more than a collective name for closely related languages or dialects which were spoken and written between about 1150 and 1500 in the present-day Dutch-speaking region. ... Middle High German is an ancestor of the modern German language, and was spoken from 1050 to about 1500. ... Early Modern High German (FrÃ¼hneuhochdeutsch), is the direct ancestor of the modern German language, and was used from 1350 to 1650. ... Lingua franca, literally Frankish language in Italian, was originally a mixed language consisting largely of Italian plus a vocabulary drawn from Turkish, Persian, French, Greek and Arabic and used for communication throughout the Middle East. ... The Hanseatic League (German: die Hanse, Dutch: de Hanze) was an alliance of trading cities that established and maintained a trade monopoly over the Baltic Sea and most of Northern Europe for a time in the later Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, between the 13th and 17th century. ... The North Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, located between the coasts of Norway and Denmark in the east, the coast of the British Isles in the west, and the German, Dutch, Belgian and French coasts in the south. ... The Baltic Sea is located in Northern Europe, from 53 deg. ... LÃ¼beck ( pronunc. ...

Early Modern High German

Main article: Early Modern High German

When Martin Luther translated the Bible (the New Testament in 1522 and the Old Testament, published in parts and completed in 1534) he based his translation mainly on this already developed language, which was the most widely understood language at this time. This language was based on Eastern Upper and Eastern Central German dialects and preserved much of the grammatical system of Middle High German (unlike the spoken German dialects in Central and Upper Germany that already at that time began to lose the genitive case and the preterit tense). In the beginning, copies of the Bible had a long list for each region, which translated words unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Roman Catholics rejected Luther's translation in the beginning and tried to create their own Catholic standard (gemeines Deutsch) — which, however, only differed from 'Protestant German' in some minor details. It took until the middle of the 18th century to create a standard that was widely accepted, thus ending the period of Early New High German. Early Modern High German (FrÃ¼hneuhochdeutsch), is the direct ancestor of the modern German language, and was used from 1350 to 1650. ... Luther at age 46 (Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1529) The Luther seal Martin Luther (November 10, 1483â€“February 18, 1546) was a German theologian, an Augustinian monk, and an ecclesiastical reformer whose teachings inspired the Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines and culture of the Lutheran and Protestant traditions. ... The Bible (Hebrew ×ª× ×´×š tanakh, Greek Î· Î’Î¯Î²Î»Î¿Ï‚ [hÄ“ biblos] ) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Good Book, Word of God, The Word, or Scripture), from Greek (Ï„Î±) Î²Î¯Î²Î»Î¹Î±, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the classical name for the Hebrew Bible of Judaism or the combination of the Old Testament and New Testament of Christianity... See New Covenant for the concept translated as New Testament in the KJV. The New Testament, sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures, and, in recent times, also New Covenant, is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. ... Events January 9 - Adrian Dedens becomes Pope Adrian VI. February 26 - Execution by hanging of CuauhtÃ©moc, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan under orders of conquistador HernÃ¡n CortÃ©s. ... Note: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the concept of a New Testament. ... Events February 27 - Group of Anabaptists of Jan Matthys seize MÃ¼nster and declare it The New Jerusalem - they begin to exile dissenters and forcible baptize all others May 10 - Jacques Cartier explores Newfoundland while searching for the Northwest Passage. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Early New High German, or Early Modern German, is the direct ancestor of the modern German language, and was used from 1350 to 1750. ...

19th century

German used to be the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire, which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe. Until the mid-19th century it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of the Empire. It indicated that the speaker was a merchant, an urbanite, not their nationality. Some cities, such as Prague (German: Prag) and Budapest (Buda, German: Ofen), were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain. Others, such as Bratislava (German: Pressburg), were originally settled during the Habsburg period and were primarily German at that time. A few cities such as Milan (German: Mailand) remained primarily non-German. However, most cities were primarily German during this time, such as Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, Zagreb (German: Agram), and Ljubljana (German: Laibach), though they were surrounded by territory that spoke other languages. Habsburg (sometimes spelled Hapsburg, but never so in official use) was one of the major ruling houses of Europe. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Merchants function as professionals who deal with trade, dealing in commodities that they do not produce themselves, in order to produce profit. ... Prague (Czech: Praha, see also other names) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... Nickname: Paris of the East, Pearl of the Danubeor Queen of the Danube Motto: Official website: www. ... Buda (German: Ofen) is the western part of the Hungarian capital Budapest on the right bank of the Danube. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... MILAN Type anti-tank Nationality joint France/German Era Cold War, modern Launch platform Individual, Vehicle Target Vehicle, Fortification History Builder MBDA, Bharat Dynamics (under license) Date of design 70s Production period since 1972 Service duration since 1972 Operators 41 countries Variants MILAN 1, MILAN 2, MILAN 2T, MILAN 3... Nickname: Paris of the East, Pearl of the Danubeor Queen of the Danube Motto: Official website: www. ... Zagreb at night, from Sljeme Zagreb cathedral St. ... Tromostovje (Tromostovje) and Franciscan church (FranÄiÅ¡kanska cerkev) in baroque style in the back Ljubljana (IPA ), German Laibach (), Italian Lubiana () is the capital of Slovenia, situated on the outfall of the river Ljubljanica into the Sava, in central Slovenia, between the Alps and the Mediterranean. ...

Until about 1800, standard German was almost only a written language. In this time, people in urban northern Germany, who spoke dialects very different from Standard German, learnt it almost like a foreign language and tried to pronounce it as close to the spelling as possible. Prescriptive pronunciation guides used to consider that northern German pronunciation to be the standard. However, the actual pronunciation of standard German varies from region to region.-1...

Media and written works are almost all produced in standard German (often called hochdeutsch in German), which is understood in all areas of German languages (except by pre-school children in areas which speak only dialect, for example Switzerland — but in this age of TV, even they now usually learn to understand Standard German before school age).

The first dictionary of the Brothers Grimm, the 16 parts of which were issued between 1852 and 1860, remains the most comprehensive guide to the words of the German language. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm The Brothers Grimm (GebrÃ¼der Grimm) are Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, German professors best known for publishing collections of authentic folk tales and fairy tales. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ...

20th century

See also Standard German.

In 1880, grammatical and orthographic rules first appeared in the Duden Handbook. In 1901, this was declared the standard definition of the German language. Official revisions of some of these rules were not issued until 1998, when the German spelling reform of 1996 was officially promulgated by governmental representatives of all German-speaking countries. Since the reform, German spelling has been in an eight-year transitional period where the reformed spelling is taught in most schools, while traditional and reformed spelling co-exist in the media. German (called Deutsch in German; in German the term germanisch is equivalent to English Germanic), is a member of the western group of Germanic languages and is one of the worlds major languages. ... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Duden is a German dictionary, first published by Konrad Duden in 1880, currently in its 23rd edition. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII in Roman) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The German spelling reform (Rechtschreibreform) is based on an international agreement signed in 1996 by the governments of the German-speaking countries Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. ...

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