Old "German(s)"A Dialectologist's Delightmare

Overview

Continental West Germanic

Major Splits in CWG

There Is No Single "Old High German" or "Old Low German"

Major Dialect Divisions in OHG & OLG

What Makes German "High"?

Continental West Germanic

OHG Dialects

CWG Dialect Continuum

Antwerp Benrath Line Vienna

"Low" "High"Dialects Dialects

Old High German

Compared to ON & OE, OHG is poorly attested.

Collection of chronologically, geographically, and orthographically dissimilar texts written between 750 - 900 CE.

First OHG text is the Abrogans, a glossary of Latin terms translated into German.

Word lists > glosses > interlinear translations > texts

Old High German

Began as a rural dialect in the southern mountains

Spread northward, eventually displacing Low German as the dominant dialect family

Litmus Test For High German:

Must show some feature of the Second Germanic Consonant Shift

Second Consonant Shift

Also known as "Zweite Lautverschiebung" (D), "tweede klankverschuiving" (NL)

Virtually replicated the First Germanic Consonant Shift

Spread gradually - Finished as a sound change process by the Old High German period (750-1050 C.E.)

Not fully realized in all dialects! Most fully realized in southernmost dialects (Bavarian, Allemanic), weakest in Rhineland.

Die Medienverschiebung

In addition to the 2nd CS, there was also a significant shift of medial consonants that is typical of High German dialects:

d > t : OS 'dohtar' / OHG 'tohter'

† > d: 'OE' br•∂er / OHG 'bruoder'

v > b: OE 'giefan' / OHG 'geban'

Pater Noster Samples

Allemanic (8th Century): Fater unseer, thª pist in himile

Bavarian (8th Century): Fater uns§r, dª pist in himilum

East Franconian (825): Fater unser, thª th∞r bist in himile

Rh. Franc. (9th Century): Fater uns§r, thª in himilom bist

Old Low GermanShows no traces of the Second Consonant Shift

"German" side mostly represented by Old Saxon

"Dutch" side mostly represented by Old Low Franconian

Frisians spread across northern Low German area

Old Saxon• 800-1150 C.E.

• Saxons described by Roman historians

• Major Old Saxon text is the Heliand, a loose Bible translation

• Other minor texts survived

• Much destroyed by Christianization

• Quite similar to Old English

• Saxons eventually conquered by the Franks under Charlemagne (Karl der Große)

Old Low Franconian

Hebban olla vogala nestas hagunnan hinase hic enda thu wat unbidan we nu = "All birds have begun to build their nests except you and I -- what shall we do now?"

Frisian

Pro NessiaHigh Low

Gang uz, Nesso, mit niunnessinchilinon,uz fonna marge in deo adra,vonna den adrun in daz fleisk,fonna demu fleiske in daz fel, fonna demo vell in diz tulli.Ter pater noster.

Gang ªt, nesso, mid nigun nessiklinon,ªt fana themo marge an that benfan themo bene an that flesg,ut fan themo flesgke an thia hud,ªt fan thera hud an these strala.Drohtin, uuerthe so.

Pro NessiaOld High German

Modern German

English Old Saxon Modern German

English

Gang uz, Nesso, mit niun nessinchilinon, uz fonna marge in deo adra, vonna den adrun in daz fleisk,fonna demu fleiske in daz fel, fonna demo vell in diz tulli.Ter pater noster.

Geh' aus, Wurm, mit

neunWürmchen,aus von dem Mark in die

Ader, von der Ader in das Fleisch, von

dem Fleisch in das Fell, von dem Fell auf dieses Pfeil. Zum pater

noster

Go out, worm, with nine little

worms, out from the

marrow into the vein, from the vein into the

flesh, from the flesh into the

skin (pelt), from the skin onto this stick. To

the pater noster.

Gang ªt, nesso, mid nigun nessiklinon,ªt fana themo marge an that ben fan themo bene an that flesg, ut fan themo flesgke an thia hud,ªt fan thera hud an these strala.Drohtin, uuerthe so.

Geh' aus, Wurm, mit neun

Würmchen,aus von dem Mark in das

Bein, von dem Bein in das

Fleisch, aus von dem Fleisch in die Haut, aus von der Haut

auf dieses Pfeil. Herr, wird es

so.

Go out, worm, with nine little

worms, out from the marrow into the leg, from the

leg into the flesh, out from the flesh into the skin, out from the skin

onto this stick. Lord, may it be

so.