German
Biography of a Language
1st Edition
Published on 15. July 2010
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-0-19-538845-9 (ISBN)
Description
Nearly six thousand years ago, seafront clans in Denmark likely began speaking the earliest form of Germanic language--the first of six "signal events" that Ruth Sanders highlights in this marvelous tour of the German language. Blending linguistic, anthropological, and historical research, Sanders presents a brilliant biography of the language as it evolved across the millennia. She sheds light on the influence of such events as the Battle of Kalkriese, which permanently halted the incursion of both the Romans and the Latin language into northern Europe, and the publication of Martin Luther's German Bible translation, which in effect forged from many regional dialects a single German language. The narrative ranges through the turbulent Middle Ages, the spread of the printing press, the formation of the nineteenth-century German Empire, and Germany's twentieth-century military and cultural horrors. The book includes fascinating sidebars on topics such as the Gothic language (now extinct), the branching off of Yiddish, and the revolution of 1848. The first book on this topic for general readers, this engaging volume will appeal to everyone interested in German language, culture, or history.
Reviews / Votes
German provides an apt starting point for anybody seeking an accessible book on the history of German * Kerstin Hodge, Times Literary Supplement * Like a good biography, it provides a tantalising taste of its subject. * Kerstin Hodge, Times Higher Education Supplement * For any scholar of linguistics, this book offers rich material. * Organiser, New Delhi * an ingenious telling of just how German emerged from the primordial Germanic soup...this is an enjoyable yet still-scholarly read for the historian, linguist and Germanophile alike. It would be a fine thing to have more such brief histories, made easily readable to the non-specialist, of the major world languages. * The Economist *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Illustrations
15 black and white halftones
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
543 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-538845-9 (9780195388459)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2012
Oxford University Press Inc
€42.80
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
06/2010
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€18.99
Available for download
E-Book
06/2010
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€18.99
Available for download
Person
Ruth H. Sanders is Professor of German at Miami University of Ohio.
Content
Preface
Introduction: What this book covers
Chapter One: Germanic Beginnings: Early Ancestors in Denmark
Timeline : From the earliest settlements in northern Europe to the beginning of the Christian era
Sidebars:
1. Indo-European: Protolanguage and culture
2. The First Sound Shift
3. Language contact and language change: The case of Finland
Chapter Two: The Germanic Languages Survive the Romans: The Battle of Kalkriese
Timeline: From the beginning of the Christian era to the end of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages
Sidebars:
1. The Germanic tribes
2. The Goths and the Gothic language
3. The Celts
Chapter Three: A Fork in the Road: Germanic languages separate into Low and High
Timeline: From the beginning of the Middle Ages to the Protestant Reformation
Sidebars:
1. The Second Sound Shift
2. The Vikings: Raiders, traders, and neighbors
3. The Germanen go to England: The Anglo-Saxons and the English language
4. Yiddish: The creation of a new Germanic language
Chapter Four: A perfect storm, and the birth of Standard German
Timeline: From the beginning of the Reformation to the beginning of the First Industrial Revolution
Sidebars:
1. The Thirty Years' War
2. The Reformation
3. The history of European printing
Chapter Five: The German language gets a state
Timeline: From the Unification of Germany to the beginning of World War I
Sidebars:
1. The revolution of 1848
Chapter Six: Postwar Comeback Times Two: German Begins to Recover after a Fall from grace
Timeline: From the end of World War I to the present
Sidebars:
1. Spelling Reforms
2. Early Germanic language in a deep freeze: The case of Icelandic
Bibliography
Introduction: What this book covers
Chapter One: Germanic Beginnings: Early Ancestors in Denmark
Timeline : From the earliest settlements in northern Europe to the beginning of the Christian era
Sidebars:
1. Indo-European: Protolanguage and culture
2. The First Sound Shift
3. Language contact and language change: The case of Finland
Chapter Two: The Germanic Languages Survive the Romans: The Battle of Kalkriese
Timeline: From the beginning of the Christian era to the end of the Western Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages
Sidebars:
1. The Germanic tribes
2. The Goths and the Gothic language
3. The Celts
Chapter Three: A Fork in the Road: Germanic languages separate into Low and High
Timeline: From the beginning of the Middle Ages to the Protestant Reformation
Sidebars:
1. The Second Sound Shift
2. The Vikings: Raiders, traders, and neighbors
3. The Germanen go to England: The Anglo-Saxons and the English language
4. Yiddish: The creation of a new Germanic language
Chapter Four: A perfect storm, and the birth of Standard German
Timeline: From the beginning of the Reformation to the beginning of the First Industrial Revolution
Sidebars:
1. The Thirty Years' War
2. The Reformation
3. The history of European printing
Chapter Five: The German language gets a state
Timeline: From the Unification of Germany to the beginning of World War I
Sidebars:
1. The revolution of 1848
Chapter Six: Postwar Comeback Times Two: German Begins to Recover after a Fall from grace
Timeline: From the end of World War I to the present
Sidebars:
1. Spelling Reforms
2. Early Germanic language in a deep freeze: The case of Icelandic
Bibliography