German Language History

As part of the Germanic family of languages, which also includes English and Dutch, German descended from an ancient language known as proto-Germanic. Since these ancient beginnings, German has evolved into a complex language that, today, is the primary language of nearly 100 million people worldwide.

In Germany and Austria, German is the official language of the land. Other countries in which people speak a German dialect include Switzerland, Luxembourg, Brazil, Romania and Russia.

The Early History of the German Language

The history of the German language starts somewhere around 750 BCE with the early Germanic tribes living along the North and Baltic Seas, as well as throughout the region now known as the Netherlands.

As these ancient tribes expanded their territories by conquering new lands, they also spread their language and, in some cases, incorporated new linguistic nuances from different local cultures.

By the arrival of the Common Era, proto-Germanic had adopted enough variations in pronunciation and vocabulary so that it included four distinct language groups:

English
German
Gothic (now a dead language)
Netherlandic (which would eventually develop into Flemish and Dutch)

German in the Common Era and Middle Ages

Among the early influences on the primitive German language was the expansion of the Roman Empire into the areas of modern Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In addition to converting the Germanic tribes to Christianity, Roman soldiers:

Introduced the notion of codifying the various German dialects (up until this point, writing down early versions of proto-Germanic had not been a wide practice);
Introduced Latin to Germanic peoples

During the following centuries, these changes ushered in the "High German consonant shift" of the Middle Ages. The High German consonant shift refers to another series of linguistic changes that significantly altered the German language and resulted in German splintering into two dialects:

High German, which included Old High German, Middle High German and Early New High German. These German dialects were primarily spoken in the high, mountainous regions of Germany, particularly in the central and northern parts of the country.
Low German, which included the sub-dialects of Old Saxon and Middle Low German. These German dialects were largely spoken in the flatter parts of Germany, specifically in the western and southern regions of the country.

The Modern German Language

Up until this point in German language history, the evolution of the German language was characterized by fragmentation and diversification due to development of various German dialects. However, with the dawn of modern times, this language moved towards finding a standard written and spoken form.

Modern Standard German, which first arose in the 16th Century, developed out of the German used by theologist Martin Luther to translate the Bible. At the time, Luther used the East Middle German dialect, as this German dialect combined elements of High and Low German languages.

This early form of Standard German was primarily written (as opposed to being spoken) until the advent of the printing press. With more of Luther's Bibles being printed and distributed, people started phonetically pronouncing the Standard German.

Eventually, by the 18th Century, Standard German would find a use in theaters across the country, giving rise to Hochsprache – the name of the Standard German in its spoken form.

Today, Standard German is taught in schools, used in business transactions and widely spoken and printed in popular media.

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