Early New High German

Frühneuhochdeutsch (abbreviated often fnhd. ) Is called the historical language level of the German language between the German of the Middle Ages ( Middle High German ), and the present-day German ( the NHG ). The period of Early New High German language is about scheduled from 1350 to 1650. The most prominent evidence of this text language level is Luther's translation of the Bible to 1545.

The vocabulary of the Early New High German is recognized and described in the Early New High German dictionary, specific to a southwest German variety in the Swiss Idiotikon.

Characteristics

The Frühneuhochdeutsche is marked by a series of loud- conversion processes which limit the Middle High German from NHG and had already begun in the Early New High German, but had not been completed. ( These include the so-called " strain in open syllable ," the " Modern High German monophthongization " and the " High German diphthongization .") So you start at this time, for example, the " egg ", which in Middle High German still [ei ] was pronounced ( similar to the " ay " in English " to say" ), as [ ai ] to pronounce, and "sl " becomes " proposes " (eg " slafen " to " sleep "). detailed to this sound change processes can be found in the article on middle High German.

As far as the respective sound change was already well advanced and how reliable he had already reflected in the (then not orthographically regular ) notation, however, was regionally very different. The fact that a phonologically so ambiguous and inconsistent language status is still categorized as a separate language level, is mainly because that the frühneuhochdeutsche time is an important cultural epoch, had a major impact on the German language history. For example, was the vocabulary of the German by Luther's translation of the Bible, his song seals and enormously enhanced by the extensive literature Reformation. Through the influence of humanism were also a number of Latin loan words added to the German language and the grammar was restructured along the lines of the Latin language in part.

Spatial classification

While handwritten and location-based texts have large regional differences, several more or less uniform printer languages ​​have emerged in this period, which are usually divided by the modern German in six write regions. These areas continue to be the main centers of early book-printing:

• Upper German printer languages the Bavarian- Austrian with Ingolstadt and Vienna
• The Swabian with Augsburg, Ulm and Tübingen
• Alemannic Basel, Zurich and Strasbourg
• The East Frankish with Nuremberg, Bamberg and Würzburg

• The West Central German with Frankfurt, Mainz, Worms and Cologne
• The ostmitteldeutsche with Wittenberg, Erfurt and Leipzig

However, this is based on a teleological, directed to the later emergence of the High German written language point of view. Thus, contemporary linguists mean by the word " German " all continental West Germanic dialects, including the Low German and Dutch, the Ripuarian was often not counted by the printer in Cologne to the High German varieties, such as Sebastian Helber (1530-1598), which still in his Teutschen Sylla beer book ( 1593), this classification applies.

However, the printer language in the Netherlands went in the 15th century very independent ways and took on linguistic standardization process no longer participate, so there formed a separate written language, now known as Dutch. The subsequent Low German language area, however, was so worded strongly influenced by the Bible translation by Martin Luther, that you gave up the end of the 16th century, the Low German language as a written language and the ostmitteldeutsche Luther German took over, first in printed documents and several decades later in handwritten texts, while they continued to live in the spoken language.

In southern Germany, however, the language of Luther's Bible had initially less influence and they used on an older Upper German writing style, which still had similarities to Middle High German. This language was used by the imperial law firms until the 17th century, and is therefore also known as Maximillian firm language or Süddeutsche kingdom language. In literature and the non- Latin texts of science and theology was formed in the south during the 17th century, the Upper German writing language, the basis of the confessional antagonism between Protestant north and Catholic south into Bavaria, Swabia and Austria to about 1750, the binding Leitvarietät printed works was formed. Only then continued in the south, the ostmitteldeutsche Neuhochdeutsch by.

A special role was in this period, the German -speaking Switzerland, where until the 15th century Alemannic Middle High German was written. After that, originating from Austria High German diphthongization was also adopted in the font, making the Western Upper German and ostoberdeutsche printer language together moved closer again. Had the language of Luther's Bible then in the 16th century to the Switzerland less influence than in other regions, as there is a separate linguistic basis of the Reformation was formed with the Zurich Bible, in which oriented the other texts of the Swiss printers. Thus, the penetration of German Switzerland with New High German forms of language is intimately linked with the revision of the Zurich Bible of 1665/67 and 1755/56 and 1772. In everyday language, Switzerland, the frühneuhochdeutsche sound shift, however, has never been enforced: The modern Swiss German has Middle High German sound booth.