Search results for "Middle High German"
showing 3 items of 3 documents
The development of “junk”. Irregularization strategies of have and say in the Germanic languages
2001
Although it is a wellknown fact that the most frequent verbs are the most irregular ones (if not suppletive), it is rarely asked how they became irregular. This article deals with the irregularization process of two originally regular (weak) verbs, HAVE and SAY in the Germanic languages, e.g. have, but has/’s and had/’d (instead of regular *haves/*haved) or say [sei], but says [sez] and said [sed] in English. Other verbs, such as DO, GO, STAND, BE, COME, and so on, also tend to irregularizations again and again without any apparent reason. In contrast to HAVE and SAY these verbs have always been rather irregular, at least dating from their first written records.
Auf den Spuren öffentlicher Meinung im mittelhochdeutschen Minnesang
2011
The scope of this study is to analyse if and how traces of public opinion, in the sociopsychological sense of social control, may be found in the German medieval love lyrics. With the aid of a hermeneutic text analysis some selected Middle High German minnesongs are exemplarily examined. The analysis shows that awareness of public opinion as social control did exist in the Middle Ages. On the one hand, there are minnesongs that raise the topics ere (honour) and spot (mockery). In these songs public mockery represents a threat of isolation against individuals who do not conform to public opinion. Because mockery may lead to loss of honour and to social isolation, mockery pressures individual…