Middle High German
While there is no standard MHG, the prestige of the Hohenstaufen court gave rise in the late 12th century to a supra-regional literary language (mittelhochdeutsche Dichtersprache) based on Swabian, an Alemannic dialect.
"Judeo-German", the precursor of the Yiddish language, is attested in the 12th–13th centuries, as a variety of Middle High German written in Hebrew characters.
[4][5] There are several phonological criteria which separate MHG from the preceding Old High German period:[6] Culturally, the two periods are distinguished by the transition from a predominantly clerical written culture, in which the dominant language was Latin, to one centred on the courts of the great nobles, with German gradually expanding its range of use.
[2][10] The rise of the Hohenstaufen dynasty in Swabia makes the South West the dominant region in both political and cultural terms.
[13] Along with the rise in population comes a territorial expansion eastwards (Ostsiedlung), which saw German-speaking settlers colonise land previously under Slavic control.
[14][15] Linguistically, the transition to Early New High German is marked by four vowel changes which together produce the phonemic system of modern German, though not all dialects participated equally in these changes:[16] The centres of culture in the ENHG period are no longer the courts but the towns.
[28] In addition, there is considerable regional variation in the spellings that appear in the original texts, which modern editions largely conceal.
Verbs were conjugated according to three moods (indicative, subjunctive (conjunctive) and imperative), three persons, two numbers (singular and plural) and two tenses (present tense and preterite) There was a present participle, a past participle and a verbal noun that somewhat resembles the Latin gerund, but that only existed in the genitive and dative cases.
The French loans mainly cover the areas of chivalry, warfare and equipment, entertainment, and luxury goods:[31] Two highly productive suffixes were borrowed from French in this period: The text is the opening of Hartmann von Aue's Iwein (c. 1200) Swer an rehte güete wendet sîn gemüete, dem volget sælde und êre.
des habent die wârheit sîne lantliute: sî jehent er lebe noch hiute: er hât den lop erworben, ist im der lîp erstorben, sô lebet doch iemer sîn name.
er ist lasterlîcher schame iemer vil gar erwert, der noch nâch sînem site vert.
Commentary: This text shows many typical features of Middle High German poetic language.
Êre (3) can be translated with 'honour', but is quite a different concept of honour from modern German Ehre; the medieval term focuses on reputation and the respect accorded to status in society.
Commentary: All the MHG words are recognizable from Modern German, though mære ("tale") and recke ("warrior") are archaic and lobebære ("praiseworthy") has given way to lobenswert.
20 nu riten ſÿ vnlange friſt nebeneinander baide Ee daz ſy über die haÿde verre jn allen gahen zureÿten ſahen ein Ritter ſelb dritten Vor ein Gezwerg da einmitten ein Jŭnckfrawen gemaÿt ſchon vnd wolgeklait vnd wundert die kunigin wer der Ritter moachte ſein Er was ze harnaſch wol als ein guot knecht ſol Eregk der iunge man ſein frawen fragen began ob ers erfarn ſolte nû riten si unlange vrist neben einander beide, ê daz si über die heide verre in allen gâhen zuo rîten sâhen einen ritter selbedritten, vor ein getwerc, dâ enmitten eine juncvorouwen gemeit, schœne unde wol gekleit.
Êrec der junge man sîn vrouwen vrâgen began ob erz ervarn solde.
