Chapter II: Preface: To the Third Edition

In the preparation of the new edition, I have steadily kept in view the class of students for whom the book was originally written. When the first edition appeared twenty-eight years ago, there were very few students in this country who took up the serious study of the older periods of the various Germanic languages at the Universities. In late years, however, the interest in the study of these languages has grown so much that Honour Courses and Examinations in them have been established at all our Universities. The result is that a book even intended for beginners can now reasonably be expected to be of a higher standard than the previous editions of this Primer. The grammatical introduction has accordingly been entirely rewritten and expanded to more than twice its original size. The texts have also been nearly doubled by the addition of eighteen poems from Walther von der Vogelweide, and selections from Reinmar, Ulrich von Lichtenstein, and Wolfram von Eschenbach.

The greater part of Middle High German literature is so excellent and interesting that most students, who have mastered the grammatical introduction and read the texts in the Primer, will doubtless desire to continue the subject. Such students should procure a copy of either the _Mittelhochdeutsche Grammatik_ by Hermann Paul, eighth edition, Halle, 1911, or the _Mittelhochdeutsches Elementarbuch_ by Victor Michels, second edition, Heidelberg, 1912, where the Grammar, especially the phonology and syntax, can be studied in greater detail. They should also procure a copy of the _Mittelhochdeutsches Taschenw[o:]rterbuch_ by Matthias Lexer, tenth edition, Leipzig, 1910, and also have access to the two standard Middle High German dictionaries-- _Mittelhochdeutsches W[o:]rterbuch mit Benutzung des Nachlasses von Georg Friedrich Benecke_, ausgearbeitet von Wilhelm M[u:]ller und Friedrich Zarncke, drei B[a:]nde, Leipzig, 1854-61, and _Mittelhochdeutsches W[o:]rterbuch_, von Matthias Lexer, zugleich als Supplement und alphabetischer Index zum _Mittelhochdeutschen W[o:]rterbuch_ von Benecke-M[u:]ller-Zarncke, drei B[a:]nde, Leipzig, 1872-78. An excellent bibliography of the best editions of the Middle High German texts-- classified according to the dialects in which they were written-- will be found on pp. 20-35 of Michels' _Elementarbuch_.

May the new edition of the Primer continue to further the study of the subject in the future to the same extent as it has done in the past!

JOSEPH WRIGHT.

OXFORD,
_October, 1916._

CONTENTS

Pages

INTRODUCTION ... 1

The classification of the MHG. dialects (Sec. 1).

CHAPTER I

The Vowels ... 2-22

The MHG. alphabet (Sec. 2). Pronunciation of the MHG. vowels (Sec. 3).
Phonetic survey of the MHG. vowel-system (Sec. 4). The OHG.
equivalents of the MHG. vowels (Sec. 5). The characteristic
differences between OHG. and MHG. (Sec. 6). The weakening of
unaccented vowels (Secs. 7-8). The loss of unaccented vowels (Sec. 9).
Umlaut (Sec. 10). The MHG. equivalents of the OHG. vowels (Sec. 11).
Ablaut (Sec. 12). Other vowel changes (Secs. 13-18).

CHAPTER II

The Consonants ... 22-35

Pronunciation of the consonants (Secs. 19-20). Phonetic survey of the
MHG. consonants (Sec. 21). Characteristic differences between High
German and the other West Germanic languages (Sec. 22). The High
German sound-shifting (Secs. 23-7). The interchange between {pf, b}
and {f}; {k, g} and {h}; {[zz], [z]} and {ss, s} (Sec. 28). The loss
of the guttural nasal {[ng]} (Sec. 29). Verner's Law (Sec. 30). The doubling
of consonants (Sec. 31). The simplification of double consonants
(Sec. 32). The interchange between the lenes and the fortes (Sec. 33).
Interchange between medial {h} and final {ch} (Sec. 34). Initial and
medial {j} (Sec. 35). Medial and final {w} (Sec. 36). The loss of
intervocalic {b, d, g} (Sec. 37). The loss of intervocalic {h}
(Sec. 38). The loss of final {r} (Sec. 39). The change of medial {t} to
{d} after nasals and {l} (Sec. 40).

CHAPTER III

Declension of Nouns ... 36-46

Introductory remarks (Sec. 41).
A. The vocalic or strong declension:-- Masculine nouns (Secs. 42-5);
Neuter nouns (Secs. 46-7); Feminine nouns (Secs. 48-9).
B. The weak declension (Secs. 50-3).
C. Declension of proper names (Sec. 54).

CHAPTER IV

Adjectives ... 46-52

A. The declension of adjectives (Secs. 55-6).
B. The comparison of adjectives (Secs. 57-9).
C. The formation of adverbs from adjectives (Secs. 60-1).
D. Numerals (Secs. 62-4).

CHAPTER V

Pronouns ... 53-57

Personal (Sec. 65). Reflexive (Sec. 66). Possessive (Sec. 67).
Demonstrative (Sec. 68). Relative (Sec. 69). Interrogative (Sec. 70).
Indefinite (Sec. 71).

CHAPTER VI

Verbs ... 57-75

Classification of MHG. verbs (Sec. 72).
A. Strong verbs:-- The conjugation of the model strong verb
{n[e:]men} (Secs. 73-4). Class I (Secs. 76-7). Class II (Secs. 78-80).
Class III (Sec. 81). Class IV (Sec. 82). Class V (Secs. 83-4).
Class VI (Secs. 85-6). Class VII (Sec. 87).
B. Weak Verbs:-- Classification of MHG. weak verbs (Secs. 88-9).
Class I (Sec. 90). Class II (Sec. 92).
C. Minor groups.-- Preterite-presents (Sec. 93). Anomalous verbs
(Secs. 94-8). Contracted verbs (Sec. 99).