Middle High German

Spoken in

Indo-European Germanic West Germanic Middle High German

Gmh

Middle High German ( MHG ) refers in a broad sense an older language stage of the German language, namely all High German varieties approximately 1050-1350 ( roughly the High Middle Ages ). The lexeme " medium " therefore describes no geographical language regions, but titled the chronological middle of the modern era from the High German language forms. In a narrower sense, Middle High German refers to the language of courtly literature at the time of the Hohenstaufen. For this language a unifying orthography was created in the 19th century in retrospect, the normalized " Middle High German " in which many revisions since the ancient texts are written. If features of the Middle High German is mentioned, then usually it is meant this form of language.

2.1 The issue of high level language
2.2 scope

3.1 pronunciation
3.2 vocalism
3.3 grammar 3.3.1 Nouns
3.3.2 verbs

6.1 Dictionaries and linguistic projects
6.2 Miscellaneous

The Middle High German than older stage of the German language

The Middle High German than older stage of the German language is originally only in a variety of local dialects ( dialects ) before.

The Middle High German, Old High German was ( OHG ) ( about 750 to 1050 Early Middle Ages ) operating systems. From this it differs notably through the addition and Endsilbenabschwächung. From Old High German to Middle High German, there was no written continuity. Since almost exclusively Latin was written in the 10th and 11th centuries, put the textualization of the Germans with the Middle High German again until a new. This particularly in the earlier Middle High German writings of the 12th century quite different spellings to explain.

For the period from about 1350 to 1650 (about the late Middle Ages to Early Modern Times ), one speaks of Frühneuhochdeutsch ( ENHG ). In the various language regions, however, this distinction has to be made differently, because where the High German language features are not anchored in the dialects, was longer clung to older forms of speech. So the Frühneuhochdeutsche has prevailed until the late 15th century, for example, in German Switzerland.

In addition to the New High German language was also confirmed by the Yiddish language from the Middle High German.

Temporal classification

As Middle High German texts are all called in a High German idiom of the time from about 1050 to 1350. The beginning of the Middle High German is set in historical linguistics very uniform around the year 1050, as from this date, some linguistic changes from the Old High German varieties are recognizable, especially in the phonemic system, but also in grammar.

The end of the Middle High German period is controversial, as the researchers of the 19th century referred to by this term any texts until the time of Martin Luther. This classification is mainly due to the Brothers Grimm. Today we use the term Middle High German only for texts that have sprung up around the year 1350, and afterwards speaks of Frühneuhochdeutsch.

The following outline of the Middle High German period is mainly based on literary history, spoke thus and external related to the content criteria. However, there is also a difference and development in the grammar, the meaning of words and writing style that justify this classification.

Early Middle High German (1050-1170)
Classical Middle High German (1170-1250)
Late Middle High German (1250-1350)

In most representations of the classical Middle High German is predominantly treated, which was the language of Hartmann von Aue, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Gottfried of Strasbourg and of Walther von der Vogelweide.

Spatial classification

The Middle High German was no unified written language; Rather, there were different forms of writing and writing traditions in the various High German regions. The regional breakdown of the Middle High German coincides often with recent major dialectal areas and Pronunciation isoglosses, however, this dialect boundaries have shifted since the Middle Ages. For example, was the expansion of Low German, the written relics are not seen as part of the Middle High German literature, much further south than is the case today.

The formation region of the Middle High German texts is usually recognizable at different volume forms and the vocabulary, but also by different grammatical forms, and, based on dividing the German Middle High German in the following varieties. This classification is based on the work of Hermann Paul (1846-1921) and is not entirely satisfactory to date. Above all, has not been definitively studied, which text is accurately assigned to which region, as many texts were written by different authors. ( The following table quoted from Wilhelm Schmidt, History of the German Language, 10th edition, 2007, p 276):

Upper German

Alemannisch South or High Alemannic (now Switzerland and South Baden )
Niederalemannisch or Oberrheinisch (Alsace, south of Baden- Württemberg, Vorarlberg)
Nordalemannisch or Schwäbisch ( in Württemberg and Bavarian Swabia)

North Bavarian (up in the Nuremberg area, Upper Palatinate, Southern Vogtland)
Central Bavarian ( Lower and Upper Bavaria, Lower and Upper Austria, Vienna and Salzburg)
South Bavarian (Tyrol, Carinthia, Styria )

Central German

West Middle German Central Franconian ( Rhineland from Dusseldorf to Trier, northwestern part of Hesse, north-west of Lorraine, including Ripuarian ( to Cologne) and Moselle Franconian ( at Trier).
Rhine Franconian (southern part of the Rhineland, part of Lorraine, Hesse, part of Bavarian Franconia, part of Württemberg and Baden, Rhenish Palatinate and the northern edge of Alsace )

Thuringian
Upper Saxon with North Bohemian *
Silesia with Lausitzisch *
High- Prussian (southern part of the Warmia ) *

The fields marked with (*) last three regional varieties of Middle High German were formed only at this time in areas that were slawischsprachig before ( see colonial dialects ).

The Middle High German as the language of Hohenstaufen courtly literature

The reign of the Staufer created the conditions that from approximately 1150 in the courtly literature took shape a national written language until 1250. This language was based on the East Franconian and Swabian dialects, ie the dialects of the region of origin of the Hohenstaufen. With the fall of the Hohenstaufen also this relatively uniform over regional language form disappeared.

This language is usually meant when features of Middle High German is the question. However, it is not as if the NHG would have developed from this Middle High German in the strict sense. So it is limited at most an older language stage of NHG. So there was already at that time dialects, which had typical sound characteristics of the NHG. Already in the 12th century have survived Carinthian documents in which the modern German diphthongization occurs. Dialects with typical sound characteristics of Middle High German are spoken in the narrow sense Conversely today. So many Alemannic dialects have preserved the Middle High German monophthongs and diphthongs.

The question of a high-level language

The Middle High German courtly poetry of the Hohenstaufen was no standard language in the modern sense, because there was no standardization of spelling or vocabulary. It had a national scope. This can be seen from the fact that it was also used by poets who came from different dialect areas, such as Heinrich von Veldeke or by Albrecht von Halberstadt, that individual poet in the course of their lives redeemed increasingly regionalisms from their works, and that because of language features can often make only very inaccurately the origin of the poet, while dialect features would allow a very precise location of linguistic origin.

Scope

The scope of the Middle High German courtly literature of the Hohenstaufen was limited to the courtly literature that had its big bloom during the time of the Hohenstaufen, and was directed to the nobility. Use language text genres in which a national course was less important than the broadest possible intelligibility by all social classes, used regional language forms ( texts, non-fiction, chronicles, religious literature, etc.). A broad tradition of such types of text does not begin until the 13th century, as previously such texts were usually written in Latin.

The works of the Hohenstaufen court poetry among the most famous Middle High German, for example, the Nibelungenlied, the German Lucidarius, the " Parzival " of Wolfram von Eschenbach, the " Tristan " of Gottfried von Strasbourg, the poems of Walther von der Vogelweide and as a species minstrelsy.

The normalized Middle High German

Today is essentially based on Karl Lachmann goes back to normal Middle High German is used for the text output from the important Middle High German seals, for dictionaries and grammars, which uses basically the forms of Hohenstaufen courtly literature, but of course the often diverse spellings of that linguistic reality does not reflect.

Pronunciation

The emphasis of a word is always on the first Haupttonsilbe. Vowels with a circumflex () are spoken long vowels without circumflex spoken briefly. Consecutive vowels are stressed separately. The ligatures æ and œ as ä and ö spoken. The s is spoken pointedly, when followed by a consonant on s, except for sh and sc; there is not spoken pointed the s. A z in the word-initial or after a consonant is pronounced like the modern German z as [ ts ]. A z or zz in the middle and at the end of the word is pronounced as ß (for better distinction is often written as ȥ or ʒ ). The v is spoken on the word-initial as [ f].

Vowel system

The following overview shows the vowel system of the (normal) Middle High German:

It is important to note that as an [ ɛɪ ] is to speak (not [ aɪ ] as in NHG, but as ej or ai, cf ay in the English day); IE is not a long [i], but [ iə ].

The most important differences between Middle High German and New High German concern the vowel:

The Middle High German long vowels [i ː y ː u ː ] correspond to the High German diphthongs [ aɪ ɔʏ aʊ ] ( modern German diphthongization ). Examples: mîn - my, Liut - People, Hus - House
The Middle High German opening diphthongs [ iə yə uə ] correspond to the High German long vowels [i ː y ː u ː ] ( modern German monophthongization ). Examples: liep - loving, müede - tired bruoder - Brother
The Middle High German diphthongs [ ɛɪ ou ɔʊ ] correspond to open the New High German diphthongs [ aɪ ɔʏ aʊ ] ( modern German Diphthongwandel ). Examples: leg - leg, böume - Trees, boum - Tree
Most Middle High German short vowels in open syllables correspond NHG stretched long vowels (strain in open syllable ). Examples of time - are, say - say NEMEN - take. This stretch is in NHG but usually failed before t, and before - and mel - mer. Examples geriten - ridden site - custom himel - Sky, hamer - Hammer.

Grammar

The Grammar of Middle High German is hardly different from that of NHG. The main differences are:

All Middle High German o-stems occur in NHG over into other classes
The Middle High German knew no mixed declension
The Middle High German knows you archaic forms in many times

Nouns

Feminines of the third class inflect as those of the fourth class, but without Umlaut and secondary design: Zit, Zite, Zite, zit, Zite, Zite, zîten, Zite

Verbs

The shapes of GaN / gene "go" and Stan / Sten "stand" similar to those of Tuon.
" let " Lan goes like Han.
In the past tense stand what - were of sîn, wolter / wolde of waves, ogy (nc) gene to GaN /, hâte / Han hate / hæte / HETE / het / het / Hiete, lie ( z) to the LAN.
Tuon has in the past tense special forms: Preterite indicative: Tet (s), Tate, Tet (s), deeds, Tatet, deeds Preterite subjunctive: Tate, would do so

Other features

No capitalization of nouns ( in Middle High German names were only uppercase)
Devoicing is graphically marked ( Middle High German tac - day corresponds neuhochdeutsch day - days. )
Palatalization: Middle High German distinguished two different s- sounds: On the one hand, the resulting in the second High German sound shift [s ], which fell to Germanic t and was written with z / zz, for example in ezzen, daz, Groz. This sound is pronounced the same as neuhochdeutsches [s ] and also corresponds to a New High German [s]. On the other hand, the Germanic s going back to voiceless alveolar fricative - palatal [ ɕ ], for example in sunne, stone, kiss, Kirse, stic. This sound corresponds partly a High German [s ] or [ z], and partly a High German [ ʃ ].

Text sample

We are in the old tales miracle vil geseit of heroes lobebæren of grozer arebeit, complain of fröuden, hôchgezîten, of weeping and of, stretch of küener strîten muget ir nu wonderful hearsay. Ez wuohs Burgundians in a vil noble magedîn, daz in all the land niht Schoeners mohte sîn, Kriemhilt geheizen: si were a scöne WIP. is renamed muosen degenerative vil dungeons the LIP.

We were told a lot of miraculous in ancient narratives of glorious heroes, of great suffering, of joys, celebrations, wines and lawsuits, the struggle bold stretching ye shall say listen miracle. It grew in Burgundy zoom a very fine girl, that in all countries could be no better, Kriemhild was told: She was a beautiful woman. That's why many fighters had to lose their lives.

International Phonetic Alphabet Language family Germanic languages House of Hohenstaufen Typographic ligature Voiceless alveolo-palatal sibilant History of German Georg Friedrich Benecke Friedrich Karl Theodor Zarncke Matthias von Lexer Internet Archive

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