When The Second Consonant Shift

Came To Cologne …

Als die zweite Lautverschiebung

nach Köln kam ….

Toen de tweede klankverschuiving

naar Keulen kwam …

The Benrather LinieBundle of isoglosses

High German

Low Germanand Dutch

The 2nd Germanic Consonant Shift

Gmc High Germa

np t k pf / ff ts / ss kx / x

Medienverscheibung (shift of middle Cs)

d > t : OS 'dohtar' / OHG 'tohter' - Germ. "Tochter", Eng. "daughter"

þ > d: OS 'thria' / OHG 'dri' - Germ. "drei", Eng. "three"

v > b: OE 'giefan' / OHG 'geban' - Germ. "geben", Eng. "give"

The Official Story

“Die hochdeutsche Lautverschiebung ist vor der Zeit eingetreten, aus der ahd. Texte überliefert sind. Sie hat sich vermutlich im 6.-7. Jh. vollzogen…Allerdings besteht über die Zeit der Lautverschiebung keine Einigkeit. Jedefalls war sie vor Einsetzen der ahd. Überlieferung im wesentlichen abgeschlossen.”

"The High German sound shift took place before the time that the first High German texts were written. The shift is assumed to have finished in the 6th or 7th century ... There is, however, no unity regarding the time of the sound shift. Nonetheless it had generally finished before Old High German texts began to be recorded."

Braune & Eggers, Althochdeutsche Grammatik, 1987, p. 81

Timeline for the 2nd Consonant Shift

600 CE 1050 1200 1400 1600

Early High German

Middle High German

Early Modern German

2nd ConsonantShift

ScribalKölsch

Kölsch GuildRecords

Change

Highest Alemanic

High Alemanic

Low Alemanic

Mosel-Rhein Franconian

Ripuarian (Kölsch)

Low Franconian

(Dutch)

t- > ts- Zinn Zinn Zinn Zinn Zinn tin "tin"

-tt- > -ts- setzen setzen setzen setzen setzen zetten "sit"

-t- > -ss- Wasser Wasser Wasser Wasser Wasser* Water "water"

-p- > -f- schlafen schlafen schlafen schlafen schlafen* slapen "sleep"

-k- > -x- machen machen machen machen machen* maken "make"

-rp- > -rf- werfen werfen werfen werfen werfen /werpen werpen "throw"

-lp- > -lf - helfen helfen helfen helfen helpen helpen "help"

-mp > -mpf Dampf Dampf Dampf Damp Damp damp "steam"

-pp > - pf Apfel Apfel Apfel Appel Appel appel "apple"

p > pf Pfund Pfund Pfund Pund Pund pond "pound"

-rk > -rx starch starch stark stark stark sterk "strong"

k- > x- Chind Chind Kind Kind Kind kind "child"

-nk- > -x- teiche denken denken denken denken denken "think"

The Benrather Linie

Cologne

Franconian Dialects

Franconiandialects exist on

both sides of the Benrather

Linie

The Rhenish Fan (Rheinische Fächer)

Cologne

ik maken dorp dat apple pund

ich machen dorf das Apfel Pfund

Koelhof Chronik 1499

“Low”

Van - “of”scheppunge - “creation”up - “on, upon”sesden dach - “6th day”werlt - “world”volwassen - “grown”

“High”

tzijt - “time”geschaffen - “created”bis - “until”erden - “earth”mich - “me (acc.)”tzo samen - “together”

Speakers of Medieval Kölsch

No “standard”language

Competingdialects & forms

Long- & short-term residents

Dialectmaintainers

High Germanadopters

“Stabledifferentiation”

High German officially adopted in the mid-16th century

Medieval Kölsch Demographics

Chronic excess of deaths relative to the number of birthsGood economic conditions to hold and attract population

If a city maintains its population or grows, it’s a magnet for immigrationCologne - largest city in 13th C, one of the largest in the 15th C

Cologne & The Hanse

Economic Powerhouse

Until Mid-15th Century

Large Netherlandic

Base

Southern (High)

Germany Relatively

Unimportant

Cologne Economically Linked to Low

Countries

/p/ -> /pf/ or /ff/

paffin Pfaffe “cleric”

perd Pferd “horse”

penninge Pfennig “penny”

plach pflegte “cared for”

plegen pflegen “to care for”

pinxten Pfingsten “whitsun”

porzen Pforte “gate”

zappen Zapfen “to tap”

hoppen Hopfen “hops”

wappin Waffen “arms”

But...

paffin Pfaffe “cleric”

kouffhyss Kaufhaus “store”

hoffen hoffen “to hope”

Dorp Dorf “town”

up/op auf “on”

hulp Hilfe “help”

Kopp Kopf “head”

Dropp Tropf “drop”

Rump Rumpf “rump”

Strump Strumpfe “sock”

K HG E K HG E K HG E

Majority of Forms Unshifted

/t/ -> /ts/ or /s/

tuschen zwischen “between”

thuelf zwölf “twelve”

toelner Zöllner “toll taker”

tuienge zwingen “to force”

tu, to, zo, zu zu “to”

kurt kurz “short”

betalen bezahlen “pay”

But...

buyssen draußen “outside”

vliezzen fließen “to flow”

bit, tot bis “until”

allet alles “every-thing”

dat, wat das, was “that, what”

But...

malz, vluz Maltz, Fluß “malt, river”

More Shifted Forms, Considerable Variation

K HG E K HG E K HG E

/k/ -> /x/

clagen anklagen “accuse” machen machen “make” drinken trinken “drink”

cleideren Kleider “clothes” ich ich “I” marck Mark “mark”

komen kommen “to come” sprecghen sprechen “to speak” dranck Getränk “drink”

keiser Kaiser “emperor” gebruichen benutzen “to use” But...

kiesen wählen “chose” kruychen Krüge “mugs” penninck Pfennig “penny”

gein kein “no, none” ghemeinlich gemeinsam “common”

Generally Shifted, But Residual Unshifted FormsPlace Names: Guleke - Jülich, ludeke - Lüttich

breken, sueken, maken - brechen, suchen, machen - “break, seek, make”doick, sacke, scepenen - Tuch, Sache, Schöffen - “cloth, matter, juror”

K HG E K HG E K HG E

Language Model of Medieval Cologne

Kölle Alaaf!