“English Does NOT Come From German!”

1. “English Does NOT Come From German!” Oder: “Die englischeSpracheentstammtüberhauptnichtaus der Deutschen. Das isttotalerBlödsinn!” September 18, 2015 Andrew Ellison, Vice President/Upper Schools “Look, ma—I made a PowerPoint!”

2. Outline/Überblick: • German vs. Germanic: a species and a genus a. Germanic peoples in history b. The Germanic language family past and present • English as a Germanic language, and its closest modern relatives • English literary specimens: from early modern to middle and old • The Germanic languages and the Indo-European family 5. Conclusion and Interrogation

6. Who are the modern (i.e. post-1500) Germans? 1. Not purely “Germanic”—mixed with Celtic elements in West, Slavic in the east. 2. The direct descendants of a multiplicity of ancient Germanic tribes: Franks, Saxons, Suevi, Baiuvarians, Frisians—i.e. there were no ancient “Germans” in a unitary sense. Only over time does a “German people” coalesce, first culturally/linguistically, and politically much later (i.e. 1871). Who are the modern (i.e. post-1500) English? 1. A mixture of Germanic tribes (plural: Angles, Saxons, Jutes; also Danes/Norse) and Celtic elements 2. Only over time does a unitary “English people” coalesce, first politically (under Normans) and then culturally/linguistically

7. What’s in a name? The term “German” Romans: “Germani” –a Celtic word for “neighbor”? From gar, “spear”? a chief named Hermann? Origin uncertain. Later Romans: teutones Ancient Germanic words for “the people”: theodisc, diutisc Modern German: deutsch- Italian: tedesci Scandinavian: tysk, tysker Dutch: duits, duitsers French, Spanish: allemand, alemán Slavic: nemjetsky, nemečky English: Germans; Romanian: germanii

10. Principles of Language Kinship • A language family is a group of languages closely related by common cognate vocabulary and grammatical structures (noun declensions, verb patterns) • Within language families, some are more closely related than others. • When we say that languages are closely related, we are talking about phonetics, and primarily about consonantsrather than about vowels. • There is a difference between native cognates, cognate loan-words, and straightforward foreign loan-words. native Germanic cognates: mother, Mutter, moeder cognate Gmc. loan-words: wine/Wein, beer/Bier (from Latin vinum and bibere) foreign loan words: das Jeans, das Baby, das Internet, klicken weltanschauung, zeitgeist, reich, führer

11. How “close”is English to German? p vs. pf E: apple G: Apfel Du: appel E: drop G: Tropf Du: drop E: pound G: Pfund Du: pund E: Pentecost G: Pfingsten E: penny G: Pfennig

12. tvs. s E: water G: Wasser Du: water E: mete G: messen E: white G: weiß Du: wit E: eat G: essen Du: eten

13. d vs. z (= ts) E: tooth G: Zahn Du: tand E: toe G: Zeh Du: teen E: to G: zu Du: to E: between G: zwischen Du: tussen E: two, ten, twin G: zwei, zehn, Zwilling

14. k vs. ch E: make G: machen Du: maken E: I (OE: ic) G: ich Du: ik E: thick G: dicht Du: dik E: oak G: Eiche Du: eik

15. thvs. d E: the, this, there G: der, dies, da/dort Du: de, deze, er E: thou G: du Du: gij; ODu: du E: thin G: dünn Du: dun E: three G: drei Du: dre E: brother G: Bruder Du: broer

16. Summary of “high German” consonant shift (taking place until 8th century): Everything becomes aspirated: extra force, extra air, results in hissing and hardening primitive Gmc.High German P PF T TS/SS K CH B B/P D D/T Gh G/K

17. Specimens: Early Modern English Geneva Bible (1560): Our father which art in heauen, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdome come. Thy wil be done euen in earth, as it is in heauen. Giue vs this day our daily bread. And forgiue vs our dettes, as we alſoforgiue our deters. And lead vs not into tentation, but deliuervs frõeuil. Thomas Malory, The Tale of King Arthur (printed 1485): Hit befell in the dayes of Uther Pendragon, when he was kynge of all Englondand so regned, that there was a myghty duke in Cornewaill that heldewarreageynsthym long tyme, and the duke was called the duke of Tyntagil. And so by meaneskynge Uther send for this dukcharginghym to brynge his wyf with hym, for she was called a fairlady and a passyngewyse, and her name was called Igrayne.

18. Specimens: Middle English The Wycliffe Bible (1380): Oure faðirþat art in heauenes, halewid be þi name; þikyngdoom come to; be þiwille don in erþe as in heuene; ȝyue to vs þisdaioure breed oueroþersubstaunce; and forȝyue to vs ouredettis, as we forȝyuen to ouredettouris; and lede vs not in to temptacioun, but delyuerevs fro yuel. The “Worcester fragment” (c. 1180): Sanctus Beda was iboren her on Breotene mid us, And he wislichebecawende ǷetþeoEngliseleodenþurhwerenilerde. And he þeocnottenunwreih, þequestiunshoteþ, Ƿadernediȝelnesseþedeorwurþe is. Ælfricabbod, þe we Alquinhoteþ, He was bocare, and þefifbecwende, Genesis, Exodus, Vtronomius, Numerus, Leuiticus, Ƿurhþeos were ilærdeureleoden on Englisc.

19. Specimens: Old English West Saxon, c. 900: Fæderureþuþeeart on heofonum, siþinnamagehalgod. Tobecumeþin rice. Geweorþeþinwille on eorþanswaswa on heofonum. Uregedæghwamlicanhlafsyle us to dæg. And forgyf us uregyltas, swaswa we forgyfaþurumgyltendum. And ne gelædþu us on costnunge, ac alys us of yfele. From a 9th-century manuscript: Ælcþaraþeþas min word gehierþ, and þawyrcþ, biþgelicþæmwisan were, se his husoferstangetimbrode. Ƿa com þær regen and micelflod, and þærbleowanwindas, and ahruron on þæthus, and hit na ne feoll; soþlice hit wæasoferstangetimbrod. And ælcþaraþegehierþþas min word, and þa ne wyrcþ, se biþgelicþæmdysigan men, þegetimbrode his husofersandceosol. Ƿarinde hit, and þær common flod, and bleowonwindas, and ahruron on þæthus, and þæthusfeoll; and his hryrewæsmicel.

20. Comparison: OE and OHG (9th c.) Fæderureþuþeeart on heofonum, siþinnamagehalgod Faterunser, thutharbist in himile, sigiheilagot thin namo Tobecumeþinrice. Geweorþeþinwille on eorþanswaswa on heofonum. queme thin rihhi, sithin uuillo, so her in himileist, so si her in erdu. Uregedæghwamlicanhlafsyle us to dæg. And forgyf us uregyltas Unsarbrottagalihhazgibunshiutu, inti furlazunsunsarasculdi swaswa we forgyfaþurumgyltendum. And ne gelædþu us on costnunge so uuirfurlazemesunsarensculdigon, inti nigileitestunsih in costunga ac alys us of yfele uzouharlosiunsihfonubile

22. Germanic and Indo-European E: head Latin: caput G: Haupt E: heart Latin: cor, cordis G: Herz Greek: kardia OIrish: crida E: hound Latin: canis G: Hund OIrish: cu Sanksrit: chvan

23. Germanic and Indo-European E: fish Latin: piscis G: Fisch Scand: fisk E: father Latin: pater G: VaterGk: patēr Skt: pitar E: bull Latin: bos Gk: bous OIr: bo Lith: bullius Russ: byk

24. Common Indo-European English: brother mother star German: Bruder Mutter Stern Greek:phrater mater aster Latin: frater mater stella Irish: brathirmathir (W: seren) Lithuanian:brolismotynažvaigždė Russian: brat’ mat’ zvezda Sanskrit:bhratarmatar star-

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26. Bibliography Buck, Carl Darling. A Dictionary of Selected Synonyms in the Principal Indo-European Languages. University of Chicago Press, 1949. Dickens, Bruce and Wilson, R. M.. Early Middle English Texts. London: Bowes & Bowes, 1951. The Geneva Bible: A Facsimile of the 1560 Edition. University of Wisconsin Press, 1969 Prokosch, Edward. A Comparative Germanic Grammar. Linguistic Society of America, 1939. Sweet, Henry. Sweet’s Anglo-Saxon Primer. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1953. Vinaver, Eugene (ed.). The Works of Sir Thomas Malory. London: Oxford University Press, 1954. Wright, Joseph. Old High German Primer. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1906. The Wycliffe Bible. Lamp Post Inc., 2008.