Ancient Roots:
* Proto-Germanic: The starting point is Proto-Germanic, a hypothetical language spoken by ancient Germanic tribes around 500 BC. It was part of the larger Indo-European language family.
* Branches: Proto-Germanic branched into three main branches:
* North Germanic: Led to languages like Swedish, Danish, and Icelandic.
* East Germanic: Extinct languages like Gothic.
* West Germanic: This branch gave rise to German, English, Dutch, Frisian, and Yiddish.
Early Development:
* High German: Around the 8th century, the *High German consonant shift* occurred. This significant sound change affected the pronunciation of consonants, creating a distinct difference between High German and Low German.
* Old High German (750-1050 AD): During this period, literature began to be written in German, mostly religious texts.
* Middle High German (1050-1500 AD): This period saw the rise of German literature, with epic poems like the *Nibelungenlied*.
Modern German:
* Early New High German (1500-1700 AD): Luther's translation of the Bible into German standardized the language and gave it a national identity.
* Modern High German (1700 onwards): German continued to evolve, becoming the standard language spoken and written in Germany and Austria.
Key Influences:
* Latin: Latin, as the language of the Roman Empire, had a significant influence on German vocabulary and grammar.
* Other Germanic languages: English, Dutch, and other Germanic languages also shared influences and borrowed words from each other.
* French: Following the French Revolution, French had a significant influence on German vocabulary, especially in the fields of art, literature, and philosophy.
In summary: German has its roots in Proto-Germanic, a language spoken by ancient Germanic tribes. Through centuries of development, sound changes, and external influences, it has evolved into the modern German we know today.