[ Contents ] [ Intro ] [ Glossary
]
Chapters
[ I ] [ II ] [ III ] [ IV ] [ V ] [ VI ] [ VII ] [ VIII ] [ IX ] [ X ] [ XI ] [ XII ] [ XIII ]
Texts
[ Tatian ]
[ Psalms ]
[ St Emeramer Gebet ]
[ Otfrid ]
[ Das Ludwigslied ]
[ Muspilli ]
[ Notes ]
HENRY FROWDE, M.A.
PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD LONDON, EDINBURGH NEW YORK AND TORONTO
WITH
GRAMMAR, NOTES, AND GLOSSARY
BY
JOSEPH WRIGHT, Ph.D., D.C.L., LL.D., Litt.D
1906
[ All rights reserved ]
OXFORD
PRINTED AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
BY HORACE HART, M.A.
PRINTER TO THE UNIVERSITY
In an elementary book like the present it is, of course, impossible even to state all the phenomena of sound-change peculiar to the Old High German language as a whole, especially when one attempts to make a discrimination between the Upper German and Upper Franconian dialects. I have, however, endeavoured to bring within a comparatively small compass all the really more important features of the language, and fully believe that the beginner who conscientiously works through the book will have acquired such a sound elementary knowledge of the language as will enable him to pursue his further study of German with little difficulty, whether from a literary or a purely linguistic point of view. In the MHG. primer many forms were left unexplained which beginners would, no doubt, like to have seen explained. There I mentioned such OHG. forms only as were absolutely necessary for the understanding of the Accidence, intentionally reserving the rest for the present little book. In fact, MHG. grammar will cause little or no difficulty to a student possessing a mere elementary knowledge of Old High German.
I trust that these two little books—imperfect and incomplete as they are—will contribute something towards furthering the scientific study of German in England, and fostering among our countrymen a love for that great store of medieval literature of which the German nation is justly proud.
In conclusion I gratefully acknowledge my obligations to Braune's Althochdeutsche Grammatik, Halle, 1886, and to the same author's Althochdeutsches Lesebuch, Halle, 1881, a new edition of which is to appear shortly.
The new edition of this Primer has been carefully revised and brought up to date. The part dealing with the phonology has been almost entirely rewritten. Although the phonology only occupies forty-four pages, the student, who masters it thoroughly, will have acquired a fairly good knowledge of the subject so far as it relates to Old High German of the ninth century.
I have not found it desirable to change the general plan and scope of the former edition, because my long experience as teacher of and examiner in the subject has fully convinced me that books containing more details about the phonology and accidence than those given in the Primer are unsuitable for beginners. I hope the present edition of the book may serve the same purpose in the future as the former edition has done in the past—viz. to help to further the scientific study of Old German among our countrymen.
oxford: June, 1906.
CHAPTER I
The OHG. alphabet (§ 4). Pronunciation of the OHG. vowels (§§ 5-6). Pronunciation of the OHG. consonants (§ 7). Phonetic survey of the OHG. sound-system (§ 8-11). Stress (§ 12).
CHAPTER II
The Indo-Germanic vowel-system (§ 13). The short vowels (§§ 14-18); the long vowels (§§ 19-23); the diphthongs (§§ 24-9) ; the Indo-Germanic vocalic nasals and liquids (§§ 30-3).
CHAPTER III
Table of the Primitive Germanic vowel-system (§ 34). The change of a to & (§ 36). The change of e to i (§ 37). The change of i to e (§ 38). The change of u to o, u (§ 89). The vowel-system at the close of the Primitive Germanic period (§ 40).
CHAPTER IV
The
OHG. Development of the General
Germanic
Vowel-system.................................................................... 14-21
Umlaut (§ 41). The short vowels (§§ 42-7); the long vowels (§§ 48-53); the diphthongs (§§ 54-6).
CHAPTER V
The OHG. development OF THE primitive germanic
vowels OF unaccented syllables............................. 21-5
The vowels of final syllables (§§ 57-9) ; the vowels of other than final syllables (§§ 60-3).
CHAPTER VI
The First Sound-shifting, Verner’s law, and Other Consonant Changes which took place in the Primitive Germanic Language.......... 25-34
The Indo-Germanic consonant system (§ 65). The first sound-shifting:—the tenues (§ 66); the mediae (§ 67); the tennes aspiratae (§ 68) ; the mediae aspiratae (§§ 69-71). Verner’s Law (§ 72). Other consonant changes (§§ 73-7). Table of Primitive Germanic consonants (§ 78).
CHAPTER VII
Special West Germanic Modifications of the General Germanic Consonant-system. The High German Sound-shifting, &c....................... 34-40
The change of medial z to r and the loss of final z (§ 79). The gemination of consonants before a following j (§ 80). The gemination of, p, t, k before a following r (§ 81). Table of the Primitive HG. explosives and spirants (§ 82). The OHG. shifting of the voiceless explosives (§§ 83-4). The OHG. shifting of the voiced explosives and spirants (§ 85). Summary of the HG. sound-shifting (§ 86). Verner's Law in OHG. (§ 87).
CHAPTER VIII
The OHG. Consonants in general ................................... 41-4
Simplification of double consonants (§ 89). The semivowels (§§ 90-1); liquids and nasals (§ 92) ; labials (§ 93); gutturals (§ 94) ; dentals (§ 95).
CHAPTER IX
Declension of Nouns........................................................... 45-55
A. The strong declension: — Masculine and neuter a-stems (§§ 97-101); masculine and neuter ja-stems (§§ 102-4); masculine and neuter wa-stems (§ 105); o-stems (§§ 107-8); jo-stems (§§ 109-11); feminine abstract nouns in -i (§§ 112-3) ; the i-declension (§§ 114-6); the u-declension (§§ 117-20).
B. The weak declension (§§ 121-4).
C. Minor declensions:—Monosyllabic consonant stems (§§ 125-7) ; stems in -r (§§ 128-31); stems in -nt (§ 132) ; stems in -os, -es (§§ 133-5).
CHAPTER X
Declension of Adjectives................................................. 55-64
A. Strong declension (§§ 137-44). B. Weak declension (§§ 145-6). C. Declension of participles (§S 147-8). D. The comparison of adjectives (§§ 149-52). Appendix:
Formation of adverbs from adjectives (S 153); Comparison of adverbs (§§ 154-5). Numerals :—Cardinal and ordinal numerals (§§ 156-9) ; other numerals (§ 160).
CHAPTER XI
Pronouns................................................................................... 64-9
Personal (§ 161); reflexive (§ 162);
possessive (§§ 163-4); demonstrative (§§ 165-7); relative (§ 168);
interrogative (§§ 169-70); indefinite (§ 171).
CHAPTER XII
verbs.......................................................................................... 69-89
Classification of the OHG. verbs, and the OHG. ablaut-series (§ 172-3).
A. Strong Verbs:—The conjugation of the model strong verb nëman (§ 174). Class I (§ 176); Class II (§ 177); Class III (§ 178); Class IV (§ 179); Class V (§ 180); Class VI (§ 181); Class VII (§§ 182-4).
B. Weak Verbs:—Classification of the OHG. weak verbs (§ 185); first weak conjugation (§§ 186-81); second weak conjugation (§ 192) ; third weak conjugation (§ 193).
C. Minor Groups:—A. The preterite-presents (§§ 194-200). B. Verbs in -mi: 1. The substantive verb (§ 202); 2. tuon (§ 203); 3. gān (ǵ́ēn) (§§ 204-5) ; 4. The verb ' will' (§ 206).
CHAPTER XIII
syntax ........................................................................................ 90-2
Cases (§§ 207-9). Adjectives (§§ 210). Pronouns (§ 211). Verbs (§§ 212-3).
TEXTS:
I. tatian............................................................................. 93-116
II. psalms.............................................................................. 116-7
III. st. emmeramer gebet.................................................. 117-8
IV. otfrid.............................................................................. 119-35
V. das ludwigslied........................................................... 135-7
VI. christ AND THE woman OF samaria...................... 137-8
VII. muspilli.......................................................................... 139-42
NOTES..................................................................................... 143-7
GLOSSARY............................................................................ 148-76