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Read Ebook: A Middle High German Primer Third Edition by Wright Joseph
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Ebook has 659 lines and 87940 words, and 14 pages
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INTRODUCTION ... 1
The classification of the MHG. dialects .
The Vowels ... 2-22
The MHG. alphabet . Pronunciation of the MHG. vowels . Phonetic survey of the MHG. vowel-system . The OHG. equivalents of the MHG. vowels . The characteristic differences between OHG. and MHG. . The weakening of unaccented vowels . The loss of unaccented vowels . Umlaut . The MHG. equivalents of the OHG. vowels . Ablaut . Other vowel changes .
The Consonants ... 22-35
Pronunciation of the consonants . Phonetic survey of the MHG. consonants . Characteristic differences between High German and the other West Germanic languages . The High German sound-shifting . The interchange between and ; and ; and . The loss of the guttural nasal . Verner's Law . The doubling of consonants . The simplification of double consonants . The interchange between the lenes and the fortes . Interchange between medial and final . Initial and medial . Medial and final . The loss of intervocalic . The loss of intervocalic . The loss of final . The change of medial to after nasals and .
Declension of Nouns ... 36-46
Introductory remarks . A. The vocalic or strong declension:-- Masculine nouns ; Neuter nouns ; Feminine nouns . B. The weak declension . C. Declension of proper names .
Adjectives ... 46-52
A. The declension of adjectives . B. The comparison of adjectives . C. The formation of adverbs from adjectives . D. Numerals .
Pronouns ... 53-57
Personal . Reflexive . Possessive . Demonstrative . Relative . Interrogative . Indefinite .
Verbs ... 57-75
Syntax ... 75-78
Cases . Adjectives . Pronouns . Verbs . Negation .
TEXTS:--
NOTES ... 169-171
GLOSSARY ... 172-213
ABBREVIATIONS, ETC.
In representing prehistoric forms the following signs are used:-- , , , , , .
GRAMMAR
INTRODUCTION
?1.
MIDDLE HIGH GERMAN
Middle High German embraces the High German language from about the year 1100 to 1500. It is divided into three great dialect-groups: Upper German, Franconian, and East Middle German.
Since it is impossible to deal with all these dialects in an elementary book like the present, we shall confine ourselves almost exclusively to Upper German, and shall only deal with that period of Middle High German which extends from about 1200 to 1300.
PHONOLOGY
THE VOWELS
?2.
MHG. had the following simple vowels and diphthongs:--
Short vowels a, ?, ?, e, i, o, u, ?, ?. Long ,, ?, ae, ?, ?, ?, ?, oe, iu. Diphthongs ei, ie, ou, uo, ?u , ?e.
NOTE.-- represents primitive Germanic and is generally written in Old and Middle High German grammars, in order to distinguish it from the OHG. umlaut- . The former was an open sound like the in English , whereas the latter was a close sound like the in French . was a very open sound nearly like the in English , and arose in MHG. from the -umlaut of . Good MHG. poets do not rhyme Germanic with the umlaut-, and the distinction between the two sounds is still preserved in many NHG. dialects. In like manner the modern Bavarian and Austrian dialects still distinguish between and . In the MHG. period , and were kept apart in Bavarian, but in Alemanic and Middle German and seem to have fallen together in or possibly , as the two sounds frequently rhyme with each other in good poets. MHG. texts do not always preserve in writing the distinction between the old umlaut- and the MHG. umlaut-, both being often written in the same text.
NOTE.-- represents primitive Germanic and is generally written in Old and Middle High German grammars, in order to distinguish it from the OHG. umlaut- . The former was an open sound like the in English , whereas the latter was a close sound like the in French . was a very open sound nearly like the in English , and arose in MHG. from the -umlaut of . Good MHG. poets do not rhyme Germanic with the umlaut-, and the distinction between the two sounds is still preserved in many NHG. dialects. In like manner the modern Bavarian and Austrian dialects still distinguish between and . In the MHG. period , and were kept apart in Bavarian, but in Alemanic and Middle German and seem to have fallen together in or possibly , as the two sounds frequently rhyme with each other in good poets. MHG. texts do not always preserve in writing the distinction between the old umlaut- and the MHG. umlaut-, both being often written in the same text.
PRONUNCIATION OF THE VOWELS.
?3.
The approximate pronunciation of the above vowels and diphthongs was as follows:--
PHONETIC SURVEY OF THE MHG. VOWEL-SYSTEM.
?4.
UNACCENTED VOWELS AND UMLAUT.
?6.
The two most characteristic differences between OHG. and MHG. are: the spread of umlaut ; the weakening and partial loss of vowels in unaccented syllables.
?7.
The short vowels a, i, o, u, and the long vowels ?, ?, ?, ? were weakened to . This was pronounced like the final in NHG. , see ?3. Examples are:--
?8.
The vowel in suffixal and derivative syllables was generally weakened to just as in the inflexional syllables, but in some suffixal and derivative syllables which had a secondary accent the vowel was not weakened to . This was especially the case with derivatives in , , , , diminutives in and , abstract nouns in , . In others the vowel fluctuated between the full vowel and , as in beside ; beside ; superlative of adjectives beside ; beside . Beside the full forms , occurred the shortened forms , .
, , beside .
?9.
The weakened regularly disappeared:--
?10.
The change is first met with in OHG. monuments about the middle of the eighth century. In the ninth century the process was practically complete except when the was followed by certain consonant combinations which prevented umlaut from taking place. These consonant combinations were:--
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