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Quiz
How many language families are there
today? more than 150
How many languages are there today?between 6,500 and 7,000
Is this number growing
or declining?
Yes
Is English a Germanic language? Yes
examples
of languages
you don't know ☺
Is German a Germanic language?
Declining ... rapidly
Quiz
Do Spanish, German, English, Scottish,
Greek, Russian, Polish, Hindi, Latvian,
Armenian and Albanian have anything
in common?
Yes, they are all Indo-European languages
So why are they so different?
Because they belong to different language
families (all originating from Proto-Indo-
European)
Indo-European Languages
Centum Languages
Italic Languages
Hellenic Languages
Germanic Languages
Celtic Languages
Anatolian Languages
Tocharian Languages
Satem Languages
Slavic Languages
Baltic Languages
Indo-Iranian Languages
Armenian
Albanian
e.g. Latin, Spanish,
Italian, French,
Portuguese, etc.
Ancient Greek (extinct)
and Modern Greek
e.g. English, German,
Dutch, Swedish, etc.
e.g. Welsh, Breton,
Scottish Gaelic, etc.
Hittite (extinct)
Tocharian (extinct)
e.g. Polish, Czech, Russian,
Ukranian, Bulgarian, etc.
Latvian, Lithuanian,
Old Prussian (extinct)
e.g. Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi,
Urdu, Persian, Kurdish,
Pashto, etc.
Germanic Languages
NorthGermanic
Languages
Danish
Swedish
OldNorse
EastGermanic
Languages
Gothic(extinct)
WestGermanic
Languages
Low German
HighGerman
Norwegian
Icelandic
Faroese
Dutch, Flemish,
Afrikaans, Frisian,
Modern Low
German, English
Modern High
German, Yiddish
Indo-European languages
English West Frisian German Danish Swedish
foot foet Fuß fod fot
Latin Lithuanian Sanskrit
ped peda pada
consonant shifts:
p f k h
d t sk sh
t th
Old English Modern German Modern English
dag Tag day
dohtor Tochter daughter
fæder Vater father
frēond Freund friend
habban haben (to) have
hús Haus house
þancung Dank(e)/ Dankung thank(s)/ thanking
þíof Dieb thief
word Wort word
similarities
&
differences
Development of English
Indo-European languagesaround 1000 BC
split into Italic, Hellenic, Celtic, Germanic, Slavic,
Baltic, Indo-Iranian languages, etc.
Germanic languages split into North, East,
and West Germanic languages
West Germanic languages split into
High German & Low German languages
Low German languages split into
Dutch, Flemish, Afrikaans, Frisian,
Modern Low German and English
from
around
1000 BC
until today
Development of English
What is BRITAIN today
Celts/ Picts/ Welsh (Celtic, Pictish, Gaelic)
Celtic English (continuous form)
(no writing)
Romans (55 BC - 436 AD)
impact on culture and infrastructure
little impact on language: few loan
words such as: 'win' (wine), 'piper'
(pepper), 'candel' (candle), pund (pound),
'munt' (mountain), or 'cycene' (kitchen)
Development of English
Old English (7th - 11th century)
Angles
Saxons
Jutes
Frisians
Vikings
Hybrid
language
What is BRITAIN today
Development of English
Old English(7th - 11th century)
example:Beowulf
Listen to Beowulf in Old English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CH-_GwoO4xI
Beowulf (Old English): Translation:Hwæt! We Gardena in geardagum, Listen! We of the spear Danes in the days of yore,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon, of those clan kings - heard of their glory
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon. how those nobles performed couragous deeds.
Oft Scyld Scéfing sceaþena þreatum, Often Scvld, son of Scéf, from enemy hosts,
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah, from many tribes seized the mead benches,
egsode eorlas. Syððan ærest wearð and terrorised the fearsome Heruli. After first he
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad, was found helpless, fate then repaid him:
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah, for he waxed under the clouds, in wealth he throve,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra until to him each of the bordering tribes,
ofer hronrade hyran scolde, beyond the whale-road, heard his mandate,
gomban gyldan. þæt wæs god cyning! and give tribute: that was a good king!
ðæm eafera wæs æfter cenned, To him an heir was born then,
geong in geardum, þone god sende a son in his halls, whom God sent
folce to frofre; fyrenðearfe ongeat to comfort the people; he had seen their dire
þe hie ær drugon aldorlease distress that they suffered before, leaderless for
lange hwile. Him þæs liffréä, a long while. The Lord endowed him,
wuldres wealdend, woroldare forgeaf; the ruler of glory, granted honour on earth.
Beowulf wæs breme, blæd wide sprang Beowulf was famed, his renown spread wide
Scyldes eafera Scedelandum in Scyld's heir, in the Scandinavian lands.
Swa sceal geong guma gode gewyrcean So ought a young man by deeds deserve,
fromum feohgiftum on fæder bearme by fine gifts, while in his father's keeping,
þæt hine on ylde eft gewunigen that him in old age shall again stand by.
wilgesiþas þonne wig cume willing companions when war comes
leode gelæsten lofdædum sceal people serve him, by glorious deeds must
in mægþa gehwære man geþeon amongst his people everywhere prosper.
Development of English
Old English (7th - 11th century)
complex language
vowel shift: "Umlaut" (back of the mouth
vowels) front of the mouth vowels
High frequency words developed that
are still similar in Modern German, e.g.
brother (Bruder), daughter (Tochter),
drink (trinken), earth (Erde), farm (Farm)
find (finden), fish (Fisch), friend (Freund),
house (Haus), laughter (Lachen), etc.
Development of English
Old English (7th - 11th century)
King Alfred the Great (9th century)
treaty with invading Norsemen
("Danelaw")
Old Norse influence on Old English
e.g. awkward, bag, dirt, gate, mistake,
neck, sky, skirt, skull, ugly, wrong, etc.)
"parallelism": sick/ ill, dike/ ditch,
wrath/ anger, skin/ hide OR he/ his/ him
(cases) vs. to/ with/ from/ by (prepositions)
Development of English
Old English (7th - 11th century)
Old English "Wessex" dialect became the
standard in 10th century poetry, e.g.
'Homily on St. Gregory the Great':
Eft he axode, hu ðære ðeode nama wære þe
hi of comon. Him wæs geandwyrd, þæt hi
Angle genemnode wæron. þa cwæð he,
Rihtlice hi sind Angle gehatene, for ðan ðe hi
engla wlite habbað, and swilcum gedafenað
þæt hi on heofonum engla geferan beon.
Development of English
Middle English (1066 - 13th century)
Norman Conquest 1066
Anglo-Norman French became the official
language for more than 300 years
Other languages used were:
• Latin (church, scholars)
• Old English regional dialects (peasants,
commoners) such as Southern, Kent,
Northern, or Midlands dialects
Development of English
Middle English (1066 - 13th century)
Influence of Anglo-Norman French on English:
• noun suffixes (-age, -ance/-ence, -ant/-ent,
-ment, -ity, -tion)
• noun prefixes (con-, de-, ex-, trans-, pre-)
• new vocabulary: prince, count, duke, baron,
court, judge, contract, armor, archer, guad,
courage, mansion, banquet, biscuit, color, etc.
• additional vocabulary: beef (cow), veal (calf),
pork/ bacon (pig), mutton (sheep), etc.
Development of English
Middle English (1066 - 13th century)
Influence of Anglo-Norman French on English:
• Myriad of synonyms in English, e.g. infant/
child, liberty/ freedom, commence/ start,
annual/ yearly, aid/ help, odor/ smell, etc.
• 'hw' 'wh', e.g. 'hwaer' where, 'hwil'
while, 'hwo' who, 'hwaenne' when, etc.
• Imported 'chic' French words, e.g. royal,
romance, courtesy, honor, tournament, music,
passion, popular, history, library, client, etc.
Development of English
Middle English (12th - 14th century)
Oxford/ Cambridge English - "lingua franca"
• dropped vowel sounds unstressed 'schwa'
/ə/ (like in 'taken' or 'pencil')
• dropped inflections and inflected case
endings word order (S-V-O) & only "the"
• Old English letters ð ('edh' or 'eth') and þ
('thorn') 'th'; letter 3 ('yogh') 'g' or 'gh'
• 'ye' new formal YOU (Old English 'thou'
was kept as an informal singular YOU)
Development of English
Middle English (12th - 14th century)
Oxford/ Cambridge English - "lingua franca"
• 'cw' 'qu' (e.g. 'cwic' 'quick', 'cwene' 'queen')
• 'c' 'k', 'ck' or 'ch' (e.g. cyning/cyng king,
boc bock book, cild child, cese cheese)
• deletion of Old English 'h' at the beginning of
words (e.g. 'hring' ring, 'hnecca' neck)
• addition of 'h' to Romance loan words(e.g. honor, heir, honest, habit, herb, etc.)
• trailing 'e' silent (e.g. 'nose', 'name')
Development of English
Middle English (12th - 14th century)
Oxford/ Cambridge English - "lingua franca"
• differentiation of f & v, s & z, ng & n (while 'u'
and 'v' were still considered interchangeable)
• long OE 'a' vowel ME 'o' vowel (e.g. 'ham'
home, 'stan' stone, 'ban' bone, etc.)
• long vowel sounds double vowels(e.g. 'boc' 'booc', 'se' 'see')
• short vowel sounds double consonant(e.g. 'siting' 'sitting')
• plural 'en' 's' (e.g. 'housen' houses)
Development of English
Middle English(late 14th century)
example:Geoffrey Chaucer's
Canterbury Tales
Listen to the Prologue of the Canterbury
Tales in Middle English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXqiwRRJTxA
Development of EnglishGeoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Middle English):
Prologue, lines 1-18:
Middle English Translation
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote When April with its sweet-smelling showers
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, Has pierced the drought of March to the root,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour And bathed every vein in such liquid
Of which vertu engendred is the flour; By which power the flower is created;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth When the west wind also with its sweet breath,
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth In every wood and field has breathed life into
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne The tender new leaves, and the young sun
Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne, Has run half its course in Aries,
And smale foweles maken melodye, And small fowls make melody,
That slepen al the nyght with open ye Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages), (So Nature incites them in their hearts),
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, And professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores,
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; To distant shrines, known in various lands;
And specially from every shires ende And specially from every shire's end
Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende, Of England to Canterbury they travel,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke, To seek the holy blessed martyr,
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. Who helped them when they were sick.
Development of English
Early Modern English (14th - 16th century)
• Great Vowel Shift
• coined by Otto Jespersen (1860 - 1943)
• 7 long monophones changed:
/iː/ /eː/ // /ɑː/ /ɔː/ /oː/ /uː/
• 2 diphthongs changed: /əɪ/ /əu/
• Changes did not happen at once,
not consistently, and not everywhere
• (German) "lachen" /laxen/ laugh /lax/ laugh /læf/
Development of English
Early Modern English (14th - 16th century)
Consonant changes,e.g.:
• (German) "acht" /axt/ eight /æxt/ eight /iːxt/
eight /əɪxt/ eight /əɪt/
• Voiceless consonants climb, knee, island, scissors
• Added letters 'perfet' (perfect), 'faute' (fault),
'aventure' (adventure)
• Examples of "old" pronunciation patterns: derby, clerk,
Berkeley, Berkshire, and irregularities today: bear/
swear/ wear vs. great/ break/ steak or food/ moon/
soon vs. book/ foot/ good, etc.
Development of English
Early Modern English (14th - 16th century)
• English Renaissance (16/17th cent.) Shakespeare
• Imported words from Latin and Greek, e.g.: genius,
species, radius, criterion, area, premium, or lexicon
• "Inkhorn" words: still in use (e.g. impede, admit,
external, exaggerate) did not survive (e.g. expede,
demit, unhair, disacquaint, vastidity, inquisiturient)
• Short-lived survival of old Germanic words, e.g.
'inwit' (conscience), 'gleeman' (musician), 'starlore'
(astonomy), or 'speechcraft' (grammar)
Development of English
Early Modern English (14th - 16th century)
• Printing (Johann Gutenberg/ 1439) publishing
houses London/ 'Oxbridge' universities
• 'Standardized' writing (Chancery of Westminster),
dictionaries and efforts to 'purify' English
• Spelling variations: he/ hi, her/ her, had/ hadde,
which/ whiche, fellow/ felowe/ fallowe, etc.
• Independent letters: u/ v and i/ j
• 'Golden Age' of literature (W. Shakespeare,
J. Webster, J. Milton, A. Pope, Sir F. Bacon, etc.)
Development of EnglishPassage from Shakespeare's 'King Lear' (1623)
Sir, I love you more than word can wield the matter,
Dearer than eyesight, space, and liberty,
Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare,
No less than life, with grace, health, beauty, honour,
As much as childe e'er loved, or father found.
A love that makes breath poor and speech unable,
Beyond all manner of 'so much' I love you.
Sir, I loue you more than words can weild ye matter,
Deerer than eye-sight, space, and libertie,
Beyond what can be valewed, rich or rare,
No lesse then life, with grace, health, beauty, honor:
As much as Childe ere lou'd, or Father found.
A loue that makes breath poore, and speech vnable,
Beyond all manner of so much I loue you.
Early
Modern
English
'Trans-
lation'
Shakespeare Globe London Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9s
Development of EnglishEarly Modern English (14th - 16th century)
International trade examples of loanwords
• French: ballet, chocolate, salon, detail, cuisine, prestige, vogue
• Italian: carnival, casino, grotto, studio, piano, opera, violin
• Spanish: armada, cargo, plaza, salsa, banana, tango, vigilante
• Portuguese: breeze, cobra, flamingo, marmalade, albino
• German: kindergarten, fest, angst, delicatessen, dachshund
• Dutch/Flemish: holster, skipper, dam, smuggle, yacht, reef
• Norwegian: maelstrom, iceberg, ski, slalom, troll
• Icelandic: mumps, saga, geyser // Finnish: sauna
• Arabic: algebra, algorithm, almanac, saffron, coffee, mattress
• Turkish: yoghurt, caviar, chess, kiosk, tulip, turban
• Russian: sable, mammoth, vodka, kefir, commissar, tsar
• Japanese: tycoon, geisha, karate, samurai
• Malay: bamboo, amok, caddy, gong, ketchup, etc.
• Chinese: tea, typhoon // Polynesian: taboo, tattoo
Development of English
Late Modern English (17th - 20th century)
Gradual transition due to industrialization,
colonization and globolization
"New tech" vocabulary, e.g. railroad,
steam engine, telephone, photograph,
bacteria, vaccine, electricity, economy
British English independent forms,
e.g.: American/ Canadian/ South African/
Australian/ New Zealand/ Caribbean/
Jamaican/ Black/ South Asian English
Development of English
English today
375 million native speakers of English
1,500 million non-native speakers of
English 'Lingua Franca'
Regional differences
Confusing sounds/ spelling
myriad of synonyms and loanwords
Urban Dictionary/ new creations, e.g.
selfie, texting, edutainment, bromance
Quiz
• What does this mean in English?
"Das ist mein Haus." "This is my house."
• How about this?
"Sie trinkt einen Kaffee mit Zucker." "She drinks a coffee with sugar."
• And finally: "Welcher der drei Sätze
war am einfachsten?"
"Which of the three sentences
was the easiest one?"
Quiz
Can you guess these German words?
MutterVater
Wasser
Sommer
Lampe
Hund
KatzeButter
Hundert Tochter
Buch
Freund
Straße
Oktoberfest Bier Bratwurst Apfelstrudel
☺
Germanic Languages
NorthGermanic
Languages
Danish
Swedish
OldNorse
EastGermanic
Languages
Gothic(extinct)
WestGermanic
Languages
Low German
HighGerman
Norwegian
Icelandic
Faroese
Dutch, Flemish,
Afrikaans, Frisian,
Modern Low
German, English
Modern High
German, Yiddish
Development of German
Proto-Germanic (~ 2,000 BC - 500 BC)
Germanic (500 BC - 750 AD)
Althochdeutsch
Old High German (750 - 1050 AD)
Mittelhochdeutsch
Middle High German (1050 - 1350 BC)
Frühneuhochdeutsch
Early New High German (1350 - 1650 AD)
Neuhochdeutsch
New High German (since 1650 AD)
Modern German (~ 20th/ 21st century)
Development of German
Proto Germanic Germanic(~ 2,000 BC - 500 BC) (500 BC - 750 AD)
• "Great Germanic Sound Shift" separated
Germanic & Proto-Indo-European languages
• Rasmus Christian Rask / Josef Grimm
"Grimm's Law"/ "Rask-Grimm Rule" (1820s)
p f/v, t d, v w, k/c h/ch (/x/ sound)
Sanskrit Greek Latin German English
pitár patéras pater Vater father
hunda kýon canis Hund hound (dog)
trisrah treis tres drei three
• Spoken language/ no written records until
the 1st century AD (only citations in Latin)
• From the 1st century AD carved
inscriptions in "Futhark"
Development of German
Proto Germanic/ Germanic(~ 2,000 BC - 750 BC)
• 24-letter runic alphabet used in continental
Europe "Elder Futhark"
• 33-letter runic alphabet introduced in
England (5th century) "Futhorc"
Development of German
Germanic Old High German(500 BC - 750 AD) (750 AD - 1050 AD)
Consonant Shift as described by Jacob Grimm
(1785 - 1863) and Karl Verner (1846 - 1896)
"Grimm's Law" & "Verner's Law"
Development of German
"Grimm's Law" & "Verner's Law" (examples)
• p/ pp pf/ ff
apple Apfel; plough Pflug; swamp Sumpf;
pan Pfanne; pound Pfund; hope hoffen
• th d & t s/ z
three drei; that das; thank Dank; thick
dick; path Pfad; thorn Dorn; brother Bruder;
better besser; water Wasser; what was; ten
zehn; sit sitzen; bite beissen; foot Fuß
• k ch [/x/ sound]
make machen; speak sprechen; rake
Rechen; break brechen; hake Hecht
Development of German
Germanic (8th century)
• Several other sound shifts (regional)
• Regional dialects, e.g. "Sächsisch" (Saxon),
"Bairisch" (Bavarian), "Fränkisch"
(Franconian), "Ostfriesisch" (East Frisian)
• Separation into "Oberdeutsch" (upper
German), "Mitteldeutsch" (middle German)
and "Niederdeutsch" (lower German)
• At the same time, Gothic still existed
Development of German
Althochdeutsch (Old High German)
"Theodisk" (750 - 1050 AD)
• Documented written examples of
'streamlined' words selected from dialects
that had gone through all sound changes
• "Theodisk": Germanic root 'diot' (people/ folk)
adjective 'diotisc' (of the people)
'Theodisk' 'Diutisc' 'Diutsch' Deutsch
meaning "Volkssprache" ('folk speech'/ ver-
nacular language) Latin/ Greek/ Old French
Development of German
Example of Old German/ Old Saxon text:"Der Heiland" ("The Savior") written by a monk living
in the Fulda Monastery in the 9th/ 10th century:
Modern German English
Matthäus und Markus, Matthrew and Mark,
so heißen die Männer. so the men are called.
Lukas und Johannes, Luke and John,
sie waren Gott lieb. they were loved by God.
Matheus endi Marcus, so uuarun thai man hetana.
Lucas endi Hohanes, sie uuarun liebe gode.
Development of GermanExample of Old German pagan text:"Die Merseburger Zaubersprüche"
("The pagan magic chants of Merseburg"):
Phôl ende Wuodan
fuorun zi holza.
dû wart demo balderes folon
sîn fuoz birenkit.
thû biguol en Sinthgunt,
Sunna era swister;
thû biguol en Frîja,
Folla era swister;
thû biguol en Wuodan,
sô hê wola conda:
sôse bênrenki,
sôse bluotrenki,
sôse lidirenki:
bên zi bêna,
bluot zi bluoda,
lid zi geliden,
sôse gelîmida sîn.
Translation (Modern German):
Phol und Wodan
begaben sich in den Wald
Da wurde dem Balders Fohlen
sein Fuß verrenkt
Da besprach ihn Sinthgunt,
Sunna ihre Schwester
Da besprach ihn Frija,
Folla ihre Schwester;
Da besprach ihn Wodan,
wie er es wohl verstand:
So Knochenrenke,
so Blutrenke,
so Gliedrenke:
Knochen zu Knochen,
Blut zu Blut,
Glied zu Glied,
so sind sie geleimt.
(Attempted, rather literal)
translation into English:
Phol and Wodan
betook themselves
into the woods
There the Balders foal's
foot was sprained
Then, Sinthgunt, Sunna's
sister conjured him
Then, Frija, Folla's sister
conjured him
Then, Wodan conjured
him the way he
understood:
So appendages wring
and set yourselves right
Bone to bone,
blood to blood,
extremity to extremity,
until they are glued
Development of German
"Althochdeutsch" (Old High German) (750 - 1050 AD)
• Still a synthetic language (pagan text example)
• "Karolinger Zeit" (the age of
the 'Karolinger'), "Karl der
Große" (Charlemagne, 742 -
814) King of the Franks/
Lombards/ Romans
"imperium christianum"
(Christian imperium)
Development of German
• "Volkssprache Theodisk" is used to spread
the written word
• Missing words were borrowed from
"Althochdeutsch" (Old High German) (750 - 1050 AD)
Greek: e.g. kyrikón (Kirche; meaning 'church'),
ángelos (Engel; meaning 'angel'), or epískopos
(Bischoff; meaning 'bishop')
Latin: scribere (schreiben; meaning 'write'), corpus
(Körper; meaning 'body'), discus (Tisch; meaning
'table), or fenestra (Fenster; meaning 'window')
Development of German
• Development of the German Umlaut (ä, ö, ü)'Mærtz' März; 'Bruieder' 'Brüder; 'scœn' schön
"Mittelhochdeutsch" / "Dütsch"
(Middle High German) (1050 - 1350 AD)
• Unstressed additional syllable vowels:
'salbôn' Salben; 'gibirgi' Gebirge; 'taga' Tage
• Secular influencers ("Stauferzeit")/ chivalric
poetry/ "Minnesänger" influx of French words
Development of German
Excerpt from the Middle High
German poem "Der arme
Heinrich" (the poor Heinrich) by
Hartmann von Aue (~ 1190s):
Middle German Modern German Modern English
Ein ritter Es war einmal ein Ritter, There was a knight who
sô gelêret was, der so gelehrt war, was educated enough
daz er an den dass er alles, was er in to read and understand
buochen las, Büchern geschrieben everything written in
swaz er dar an fand, lesen konnte. books.
geschriben vant,
der was Er hieß Hartmann, His name was
Hartmann genannt, Hartmann,
dienstman was er und war Lehnsmann and he was a
zouwe Aue. zu Aue. vassal/ leud in Aue.
Development of German
"Frühneuhochdeutsch" (Early New
High German) (1350 - 1650 AD)
• Renewed idenfication with local territories
governed by "local" noble families
• Return to regional traditions and dialects
• No effort to achieve trans-regional
standardization
Development
of German
"Frühneu-
hochdeutsch"
(Early New
High German)(1350 - 1650 AD)
German
dialects
Development of German
Early New High German
• Lengthening of short vowels in open syllables
e.g. "lebben" "leben"
• Shortening of long vowels in closed syllables
e.g. "haßt" "hast" / "hôchgezît" "Hochzeit"
Sound changes of the 14th & 15th century
• Diphthongization of long vowels, e.g. "liute"
Leute / "mîn niuwes hûs" "mein neues Haus"
• monophthongization of 'ei', 'uo', 'üe' 'iß', 'uß'
e.g. "füeze" Füße / "brüeder" Brüder /
"suochen" suchen
Development of German
Early New High German
• Those sound changes did not happen
everywhere (dialectal differences)
• Rise of preferred 'categories' of dialects:
Österreichisch/ Bairisch (Austro-Bavarian)
Schwäbisch (Swabonian)
Rheinisch (Rhine and Lorrainian Franconian)
Zürich Dütsch (Zurich Swiss German)
Ostmitteldeutsch (Eastern Middle German)
Nordmitteldeutsch (Northern Middle German)
Sound changes of the 14th & 15th century
Development of German
"Frühneuhochdeutsch" (Early New
High German) (1350 - 1650 AD)
• Ratsherr Ulmann Stromer von Nürnberg opened
first paper mill (1389)
• Johannes (Gensfleisch zur Laden zum) Gutenberg
invented the first printing press (1439)
"Druckersprachen" (printing languages)
• Martin Luther (1483 - 1546) protestant
reformation movement/ proclamations/ 'new' Bible
trans-regional dialect "Ostmittel-deutsch"
'creator of Modern High German'
Development of German
"Frühneuhochdeutsch" (Early New
High German) (1350 - 1650 AD)
Martin Luther's 'new' German evolved:
(1/ Mos/ 1, 4)
1524: vnd Gott sahe das liecht fur gut an
1534: Vnd Gott saha, das das Liecht gut war
Today: Und Gott sah, daß das Licht gut war
(English: And God saw that the light was good)
(1/ Mos/ 40, 7)
1523: warumb sehet yhr heutte so ubel
1534: warumb seid jr heute so traurig
Today: Warum seht ihr heute so traurig aus
(English: Why do you look so sad today)
Development of German
"Frühneuhochdeutsch" (Early New
High German) (1350 - 1650 AD)
• Decline of regionally influencial noble families and
knights
Late 16th/ early 17th century
• Rise of aldermen and political leaders of growing
cities (cathedrals/ universities)
• Renaissance of Humanities trans-regional
"Deutsch" popular alternative to Latin/ Greek
• Standardized form of German that had 6 tenses, 4
cases, auxilliary & modal verbs, complex inflection
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
• "Dreißigjähriger Krieg" (30-year war)
• "Westfälischer Frieden" (1648 peace treaty)
• Independence for territories - more than 300
so-called "Kleinstaaten" (mini countries)
• Trans-territorial trade revived "Luther's
German" (though despised) as a 'Lingua
Franca' while regional dialects remained in
use (preferred)
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
• 'Chique' French words Louis XIV ('sun king')
Appartment, Bouillon, Chance, Chauffeur, Courage,
Dessert, Parterre, Portemonnaie, Rendez-vous,
Souterrain, vis-à-vis, etc.
• Anti 'frenchification' movement
Wohnung, Brühe, Gelegenheit, Fahrer, Mut,
Nachspeise, Erdgeschoß, Geldbeutel,
Verabredung, Untergeschoß, gegenüber, etc.
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
• Justus Georg Schottelius (1612 - 1676)
"Ausführliche Arbeit zur Teutschen
HaubtSprache"
• Further standardization efforts poets
and writers 'Age of Reason' German
'main language' (logical & reasonable)
foundation of today's German
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
• Martin Opitz (1624) "Buch von der
Deutschen Poeterey" guidelines for
homogeneous language, metre, intonation
and rhythm in German poetry
• "Weimarer Klassik" (Weimar Classicism)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 -
1832), Friedrich Schiller (1759 - 1805)
"Kulturelle Vorbildsprache"
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
Meaning:
Not everything that glissens is gold,
neither is everything happiness that
is like that called;
not everything is as pleasant as it seems;
by that I refer to many different things.
Goethe wrote:
Nicht ist alles Gold, was gleißt,
Glück nicht alles, was so heißt;
nicht alles Freude, was so scheint;
damit hab ich gar manches gemeint.
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
• Final harmonization of New High German
• "Haus der Hohenzollern "Preußen"
(Kingdom of Prussia) unification of all
kingdoms of Germany in 1871
• "Deutsches Kaiserreich" 1871 - 1918
all German citizens had to learn "Hoch-
deutsch" (High German) in addition to their
regional dialect still the same today!
"Deutsches Kaiserreich" (1871 - 1918)
today's
France
today's
Czech
Republic
today's
Poland
today's
Latvia &
Lithuania
today's
Denmark
today's
Slovakia
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
• 1876: "Conferenz zur Herstellung größerer
Einigung der deutschen Rechtschreibung"
lead by Konrad Duden
• Today: Duden = official
Dictionary of German
(2017: 27th edition)
incl. several
orthography reforms
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
Example: 'crazy' German compound nouns
• "Straßenbahnhaltestelle" (tram station)
• "Schifffahrtskapitänsmütze" (captain's hat)
• "Feuerwehrausfahrtsparkverbotszone" (fire
rescue exit no parking zone)
1891: Gustav Wurstmann published
"Allerhand Sprachdummheiten. Kleine
Grammatik des Zweifelhaften, des Falschen
und des Häßlichen."
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
Historical events in the years to follow:
• Rising tensions among European nations
• 1914: assassination of Archduke Frank
Ferdinand of Austria
diplomatic crises European wars WWI
• WWI ended in 1918 Weimar Republic
(birth of a democratic nation)
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
Historical events in the years to follow:
• Growing sentiment: equal opportunities
expropriation & demise of noble families
• Post-war reparation payments: 269 billion
Marks (~ 32 billion US$ today)
• World economic crisis (1930s)
• These events gave rise to Adolf Hitler
"Reichskanzler" (1933) Deutsches Reich
Development of German
"Neuhochdeutsch" (New High German)
(since 1650)
Historical events in the years to follow:
• "Hitler years" "Volksempfänger",
"Volkswagen", "Arbeit macht frei", etc.
• Chancellor Dictator use of German
and rhetoric changed completely (from the
hights of German literature and poetry to
the lows of Nazi Germany)
• WWII (1939 - 1945)
Development of German
"Modernes Hochdeutsch"
(Modern High German) (since 1950)
• No major changes to German grammar
• Several spelling reforms
• Socio-cultural and technological changes to
vocabulary (TV, radio, newspapers, movies)
• Mixture of dialects ("Ostkriegsflüchtlinge")
& rise of English (occupying allied forces)
• Influx of "Gastarbeiter" (Italy; Turkey)
Development of German
"Modernes Hochdeutsch"
(Modern High German) (since 1950)
Examples of the influence of the computer
and internet age on German:
• Computer, Internet, Email, Log-in, Laptop,
Tablet, Software, Online-Banking, Chat,
Software, Browser, Scanner, etc.
• downloaden, einloggen, klicken, Maus,
Passwort, Enter Taste, Handy, etc.
Development of German
"Modernes Hochdeutsch"
(Modern High German) (since 1950)
Examples of the influence of "Gastarbeiter"
(food) language on German:
• Italian: Pizzeria, Gelatti, Cappuccino, Pesto,
Parmigiano, Pesto, Tagliatelle, Gnocchi,
Scampi, Calamari, Bruschetta, or Lambrusco.
• Turkish: Döner, Börek, Baklava, Dolmades,
Köfte, Şiş Kebap, Ekmek, or Ayran.
Development of German
"Modernes Hochdeutsch"
(Modern High German) (since 1950)
Other "anglicisms" used in German today:
• Meeting - Brainstorming - Marketing Plan -
Update - Call Center
• Voicemail - online Chat - Tour Guide -
Broker - Sponsor - Event - Ticket - Jeans
• Fast Food - Snack Bar - Cheeseburger -
Ketchup - Cocktail - Happy Hour - Party
Development of German
German today
• Unified written language (Modern High German)
coexists with a multitude of locally spoken
dialects "bi-lingualism" ☺
• Modern Low German languages still exist in
written and spoken form (Plattdeutsch, Friesisch,
or Niederdeutsch) or only in spoken form
(Bavarian, Franconian, etc.)
• German is spoken by more than 100 million
people (Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein, parts of Liechtenstein/
Luxembourg/ Belgium/ Italy/ Brazil)
Final thoughts, Q&As
Why do English speakers around
the world sound so different?
Why does German spoken in
Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Munich,
or Cologne sound so different?
Why does English have so
many French words?
So why are English & German related?
??
?