sassesche sprâke (or unnormalised sassche sprake), nedderlendische sprâke (or unnormalised nederlendesche sprake; since the 16th century)[1]
Region
Northern Central Europe, viz. Northern Germany (roughly the Northern lowlands), Northeastern Netherlands, Northwestern/North-central (modern) Poland, modern Kaliningrad Oblast, also sporadically in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Latvia, Estonia (confined to cities)
Era
13th to 16th centuries; evolved into Modern Low German; gradually superseded as an official language by High German and (in the far West) Dutch
Language family
Indo-European
Germanic
West Germanic
North Sea Germanic
Middle Low German
Early form
Old Saxon
Dialects
Westphalian
Eastphalian
North Low Saxon, incl. East Frisian—Oldenburgish, Nordalbingian, East Elbian
Brandenburgish
Writing system
Latin (Fraktur)
Language codes
ISO 639-3
gml
Glottolog
midd1318
Linguasphere
52-ACB-ca[2]
Northern Europe in 1400, showing the extent of the Hanseatic League
A Middle Low German inscription on a half-timbered house in Hameln, Lower Saxony, Germany: Alle der warlde herlicheyt is alse ene blome de huete wasset un[de] morge[n] vorgheit. Des here[n] wort blift y[n] ewicheit. Translation: "All the world's magnificence is like a flower that grows today and vanishes tomorrow; the Lord's word remains in eternity." (1 Peter 1:24–25)Der Keyserliken Stadt Lübeck Christlike Ordeninge/ tho denste dem hilgen Evangelio/ Christliker leve/ tucht/ frede unde enicheyt/ vor de yöget yn eyner guden Schole[n] tho lerende. Unde de Kercken denere und rechten armen Christlick tho vorsorgende. Dorch Jo. Bugen. Pom. beschreven. 1531, i.e. "The Imperial City of Lübeck's Christian Ordinance at the service of the Holy Gospel of Christian life, discipline, peace and unity, to teach the youth in a good school, and to provide Christianly for the church servants and the righteous poor. Written by Johannes Bugenhagen the Pomeranian, 1531."Eyne vorrede ouer dyt boek van reynken deme vosse, i.e. "A prologue about this book of Reynard the Fox". Reynard the Fox is an allegorical epic that was popular in medieval Europe. This is from the 1498 edition published in Lübeck, one of the major Hanseatic cities. The typeface is typical for the blackletter used in MLG printing.
Middle Low German (Low German: Middelsassisk, Middelsassisch, Middelnedderdüüsch or Middelneaderdüütsk, German: Mittelniederdeutsch, Dutch: Middelnederduits) is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented in writing since about 1225/34 (Sachsenspiegel). During the Hanseatic period (from about 1300 to about 1600), Middle Low German was the leading written language in the north of Central Europe and served as a lingua franca in the northern half of Europe. It was used parallel to medieval Latin also for purposes of diplomacy and for deeds.[3]
^Lasch, Agathe (1914). Mittelniederdeutsche Grammatik. Halle/Saale: Niemeyer. p. 5.
^"m" (PDF). The Linguasphere Register. p. 219. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
^Cordes, Gerhard; Möhn, Dieter (1983). Handbuch zur niederdeutschen Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft. Erich Schmidt Verlag. p. 119. ISBN 3-503-01645-7.
LowGerman is a West Germanic language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in...
languages) LowGerman languages Old Saxon† & MiddleLowGerman† West LowGerman Northern Low Saxon East Frisian Low Saxon Westphalian Eastphalian East Low German...
German language begins in the Early Middle Ages with the High German consonant shift. Old High German, Middle High German, and Early New High German span...
Middle High German (MHG; German: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhdt., Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally...
East LowGerman (German: ostniederdeutsche Dialekte, ostniederdeutsche Mundarten, Ostniederdeutsch) is a group of LowGerman dialects spoken in north-eastern...
Modern German gradually developed from the Old High German which in turn developed from Proto-Germanic during the Early Middle Ages. German is the second-most...
the High German consonant shift. LowGerman is further divided into Dutch Low Saxon, West LowGerman and East LowGerman. MiddleLowGerman was the lingua...
Northern LowGerman (Standard High German: nördliches Niederdeutsch) is a variety of LowGerman in Germany, distinguished from Southern LowGerman. There...
Old Saxon (German: altsächsische Sprache), also known as Old LowGerman (German: altniederdeutsche Sprache), was a Germanic language and the earliest recorded...
subgroup of Low Saxon dialects of LowGerman. As such, it covers a great part of the West LowGerman-speaking areas of northern Germany, with the exception...
Central German or MiddleGerman (German: mitteldeutsche Dialekte, mitteldeutsche Mundarten, Mitteldeutsch) is a group of High German languages spoken from...
Visigothic, Frankish, Langobardic, Middle Dutch, Middle High German, MiddleLowGerman, Old English, Old High German, Old Norse, Old Swedish, English,...
The MiddleGerman house (German: mitteldeutsches Haus) is a style of traditional German farmhouse which is predominantly found in Central Germany. It...
historical phases of Low Franconian is not analogous to the traditional Old High German / Middle High German and Old LowGerman / MiddleLowGerman dichotomies...
Traces of some of the myths lived on in legends and in the Middle High German epics of the Middle Ages. Echoes of the stories, with the sacred elements largely...
The LowGerman house or Fachhallenhaus is a type of timber-framed farmhouse found in northern Germany and the easternmost Netherlands, which combines...
Low Alemannic German (German: Niederalemannisch) is a branch of Alemannic German, which is part of Upper German. Its varieties are only partly intelligible...
(front of a ship) from Old Norse bogr, LowGerman boog or Dutch boeg Brackish from Middle Dutch or LowGerman brac (="salty", also "worthless"), now brak...
be held taut. The word bowsprit is thought to originate from the MiddleLowGerman word bōchsprēt – bōch meaning "bow" and sprēt meaning "pole". It is...
since the Middle Ages, however, these languages have been strongly influenced by MiddleLowGerman, a West Germanic language, and LowGerman words account...
Chile, and Namibia. High German is marked by the High German consonant shift, separating it from LowGerman (Low Saxon) and Low Franconian (including Dutch)...
Klopp is a German surname, from MiddleLowGerman klopper ‘clapper’, ‘bobbin’, ‘hammer’. Compare[clarification needed] Chlodobert Notable people with the...
are common to several Germanic languages, including Dutch poes and MiddleLowGerman pūse, which are also used to call a cat. The word puss is attested...
Germanic languages and is recorded in the LowGerman languages such as MiddleLowGerman satersdach, saterdach, Middle Dutch saterdag (Modern Dutch zaterdag)...
shrimp originated around the 14th century with the Middle English shrimpe, akin to the MiddleLowGerman schrempen, and meaning to contract or wrinkle; and...
Frisian and MiddleLowGerman kunte; another MiddleLowGerman kutte; Middle High German kotze (meaning "prostitute"); modern German kott; Middle Dutch conte;...
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