Today German is a language deeply ingrained in European tradition. From a language of high culture to international political affairs, there are over 133 million speakers globally. It certainly holds its status as a leading language, and with Germany pioneering entrepreneurship, engineering, and bio-chemical industries, the language will no doubt be a formidable asset for future careers. Most importantly for linguists, German has many unique quirks and subtleties within the language itself, as well as the history and traditions that go along with it.
German proceeded the rich traditions of proto-Indo-European languages to which the Ingvonaeic relatives to German are also part of. This shift to the first “German sounding” plosives and fricatives was later called Grimm’s law, and ever since, “Hoch Deutsch” (the most common form of German) has evolved with a wide range of linguistic features and vocabulary.
An interesting aspect of German is its pluricentric nature, as it is plays an important role in countries including Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Poland and even small parts of Belgium and Italy. Linguistically, Germans witness significant variation in dialects and forms such as Bavarian or Alemannic, Swabian, and Low Saxon – so much so that Germans may even have to have subtitles for movies…in German. German even has its own creole language “Unserdeutsch” from Papa new Guinea, emerging from missionary workers following Germany’s colonial era. The language bares strikingly similar vocabulary, mixed with English and local languages available at time.
Historically, German has gone side-by-side with European history’s most important events, reflecting the special role it has played throughout history. For example, Gutenberg’s Printing Press invented in 1448 allowed German to be used as the first widely distributed means to spread ideas through the mass-publication of literature, arguably one of the most crucial turning points of modern history. Luther translated the bible from Latin to German in 1534, with German again revolutionising the course of history. German equally has a robust literary and philosophical tradition with figures like Goethe, Schiller, Nietzsche, and Kant. Their works, deeply rooted in the language, offer insights into German's flexibility of rhythm and sound, alongside nuances in structure and expression.
Academics even attribute German’s particularly expressive language to have greatly influenced German composers. The intimate relationship mirrored in the music shows the German language has played a crucial role in shaping the country’s musical heritage as seen by Beethoven and Schubert’s relationship with Goethe, as well as Nietzschean-Wagner connections.
In conclusion, the German language's evolution across the ages reflects cultural changes within the German population, across multiple borders, and its characteristic traits in structure and style are evident in multiple philosophical and literary works. And of course, the bluntness of their speech leaves no doubt of their nationality.
Milan. G
Comments