Table of Contents
When did the High German language emerge?
History. Old High German evolved from about 500 AD. Around 1200 the Swabian and East Franconian varieties of Middle High German became dominant as a court and poetry language (Minnesang) under the rule of the House of Hohenstaufen.
How did German language develop?
It developed from Old Saxon and the Middle Low German speech of the citizens of the Hanseatic League. The language supplied the Scandinavian languages with many loanwords, but, with the decline of the league, Low German declined as well.
Why is there high and low German?
Low German originated from Northern Germany, parts of Denmark, and parts of the Netherlands. High German (Hochdeutsch) got its name from the High elevation lands of Southern Germany, while Low German (Plattdeutsch) was based on the low-elevation flat lands of Northern Germany.
How does language shift happen?
Assimilation is the process whereby a speech-community becomes bilingual and gradually shifts allegiance to the second language. The rate of assimilation is the percentage of the speech-community that speaks the second language more often at home.
What is the German language known for?
German is the most widely spoken language in the European Union – ahead of Spanish, French and even English. It is the official language in Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein and one of the official languages in Switzerland and Luxembourg. German ranks 11th in the list of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
Is Low German intelligible with High German?
When spoken in their purest form, Low German, most Upper German, High Franconian dialects and even some Central German dialects are unintelligible to those versed only in Standard German. However, all German dialects belong to the dialect continuum of High German and Low German.
How has the German language changed?
It has gone through many changes, from Old High German (from about 700 AD to the eleventh century); Middle High German (from about 1050 to 1350); Early New High German (1350 to 1600) to New High German (from about 1600 to the present). New words from other languages have been adopted by German speakers.
Who spoke Old High German?
Old High German, any of the West Germanic dialects spoken in the highlands of southern Germany, Switzerland, and Austria until the end of the 11th century.
What is one factor that contributes to language shift and language extinction?
Political, economic and social changes within speech communities may affect native languages – a dominant language, spoken by the majority may cause serious changes, frequently even extinction of native minority languages.
What is language shift is it a state of being or is it a process towards language loss?
Language shift is the process whereby a speech community of a language shifts to speaking another language. It is also known as language transfer and language replacement. Language death or loss is the end or extinction of a language. It is also called language extinction in which the last native speaker has died.