A Middle High German Primer | Page 3

VII (Sec. 87). B. Weak Verbs:-- Classification of MHG. weak verbs (Secs. 88-9). Class I (Sec. 90). Class II (Sec. 92). C. Minor groups.-- Preterite-presents (Sec. 93). Anomalous verbs (Secs. 94-8). Contracted verbs (Sec. 99).
CHAPTER VII
Syntax ... 75-78
Cases (Secs. 100-2). Adjectives (Sec. 103). Pronouns (Sec. 104). Verbs (Secs. 105-7). Negation (Sec. 108).
TEXTS:--
I. Berthold von Regensburg 79-83 II. The Swabian Lantrehtbuoch 83-85 III. Hartman von Ouwe 86-116 IV. Walther von der Vogelweide 116-133 V. Reinmar 133-139 VI. Ulrich von Lichtenstein 140-148 VII. Das Nibelungen-Lied 149-158 VIII. Wolfram von Eschenbach 158-168
NOTES ... 169-171
GLOSSARY ... 172-213

ABBREVIATIONS, ETC.
Goth. = Gothic Gr. = Greek HG. = High German Lat. = Latin MHG. = Middle High German NHG. = New High German OE. = Old English OHG. = Old High German OS. = Old Saxon P. Germ. = Primitive Germanic UF. = Upper Franconian UG. = Upper German
The asterisk * prefixed to a word denotes a theoretical form, as MHG. {w[a:]rmen} from {*warmjan}, to warm.
In representing prehistoric forms the following signs are used:-- {[th]} (= {th} in Engl. {thin}), {[dh]} (= {th} in Engl. {then}), {[bh]} (= a bilabial spirant, which may be pronounced like the {v} in Engl. {vine}), {[zh]} (= {g} often heard in German {sagen}), {[ch]} (= NHG. {ch} and the {ch} in Scotch {loch}), {[ng]} (= {n} in Engl. {sunk}).

GRAMMAR
INTRODUCTION
Sec. 1.
MIDDLE HIGH GERMAN
Middle High German (MHG.) 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.
1. Upper German is divided into: (a) Alemanic, embracing High Alemanic (Switzerland), and Low Alemanic (South Baden, Swabia, and Alsace). (b) Bavarian, extending over Bavaria and those parts of Austria where German is spoken.
2. Franconian (West Middle German), which is subdivided into Upper Franconian and Middle Franconian. Upper Franconian consists of East Franconian (the old duchy of Francia Orientalis) and Rhenish Franconian (the old province of Francia Rhinensis), Middle Franconian extending over the district along the banks of the Moselle and of the Rhine from Coblence to D[u:]sseldorf.
3. East Middle German, extending over: Thuringia, Upper Saxony, and Silesia.
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
CHAPTER I
THE VOWELS
Sec. 2.
MHG. had the following simple vowels and diphthongs:--
Short vowels a, [a:], [e:], e, i, o, u, [o:], [u:]. Long " [a], [ae], [e], [i], [o], [u], [oe], iu. Diphthongs ei, ie, ou, uo, [o:]u (eu), [u:]e.
NOTE.--{[e:]} represents primitive Germanic {e} (= Gr. epsilon, Lat. {e}, as in Gr. +deka+, Lat. {decem}, MHG. {z[e:]hen}, ten) and is generally written {[e:]} in Old and Middle High German grammars, in order to distinguish it from the OHG. umlaut-{e} (Sec. 10). The former was an open sound like the {e} in English {bed}, whereas the latter was a close sound like the {['e]} in French {['e]t['e]}. {[a:]} was a very open sound nearly like the {a} in English {hat}, and arose in MHG. from the {i}-umlaut of {a} (Sec. 10). Good MHG. poets do not rhyme Germanic {[e:]} with the umlaut-{e}, 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 {[a:]} and {[e:]}. In the MHG. period {[a:], [e:]}, and {e} were kept apart in Bavarian, but in Alemanic and Middle German {[a:]} and {[e:]} seem to have fallen together in {[e:]} or possibly {[a:]}, 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-{e} and the MHG. umlaut-{[a:]}, both being often written {e} in the same text.
PRONUNCIATION OF THE VOWELS.
Sec. 3.
The approximate pronunciation of the above vowels and diphthongs was as follows:--
a as in NHG. mann man, man. [a] " " Engl. father h[a]t, has. [a:] " " " man m[a:]hte, powers. [ae] " " " air l[ae]re, empty. [e:] " " " men h[e:]lfen, to help. e " " Fr. ['e]t['e] geste, guests. [e] " " NHG. reh s[e], sea. i " " Engl. bit biten, to beg. [i] " " " ween w[i]n, wine. o " " " pot golt, gold. [o] " " NHG. tot t[o]t, dead. u " " Engl. put guld[i]n, golden. [u] " " " fool h[u]s, house. [o:] " " NHG. l[o:]cher l[o:]cher, holes. [oe] " " " sch[o:]n sch[oe]ne, beautiful. [u:] " " " f[u:]llen v[u:]llen, to fill. iu " " " m[u:]de hiuser, houses. ei = e + i stein, stone. ie = i + e knie, knee. ou = o + u ouge, eye. [o:]u (eu) = [o:] or e + [u:] dr[o:]uwen, to threaten. [u:]e = [u:]