79-508: The Swiss Psalm ( German : Schweizerpsalm [ˈʃvaɪtsərˌpsalm] ; French : Cantique suisse [kɑ̃tik sɥis] ; Italian : Salmo svizzero [ˈsalmo ˈzvittsero] ; Romansh : Psalm Svizzer [ˈ(p)salm ˈʒviːtser] ) is the national anthem of Switzerland . It was composed in 1841, by Alberich Zwyssig (1808–1854). Since then, it has been frequently sung at patriotic events. The Federal Council declined, however, on numerous occasions to accept
158-465: A de facto official language of Namibia after the end of German colonial rule alongside English and Afrikaans , and had de jure co-official status from 1984 until its independence from South Africa in 1990. However, the Namibian government perceived Afrikaans and German as symbols of apartheid and colonialism, and decided English would be the sole official language upon independence, stating that it
237-402: A second language , and 75–100 million as a foreign language . This would imply the existence of approximately 175–220 million German speakers worldwide. German sociolinguist Ulrich Ammon estimated a number of 289 million German foreign language speakers without clarifying the criteria by which he classified a speaker. As of 2012 , about 90 million people, or 16% of
316-612: A "commonly used" language and the Pan South African Language Board is obligated to promote and ensure respect for it. Cameroon was also a colony of the German Empire from the same period (1884 to 1916). However, German was replaced by French and English, the languages of the two successor colonial powers, after its loss in World War I . Nevertheless, since the 21st century, German has become
395-481: A gente evening ray of sunshine Still plays in the black wood, The heart feels happier with God, Far from the vain sounds of the plain A soul at peace is more serene, Au ciel montent plus joyeux, To heaven, rise more joyfully, To heaven, rise more joyfully, The accents of a pious heart, The moved accents of a pious heart. III When in the dark night Lightning erupts with noise, Our heart still feels God's strength Through storm and distress, He
474-559: A greater need for regularity in written conventions. While the major changes of the MHG period were socio-cultural, High German was still undergoing significant linguistic changes in syntax, phonetics, and morphology as well (e.g. diphthongization of certain vowel sounds: hus (OHG & MHG "house") → haus (regionally in later MHG)→ Haus (NHG), and weakening of unstressed short vowels to schwa [ə]: taga (OHG "days")→ tage (MHG)). A great wealth of texts survives from
553-1440: A l‿am a.tɑ̃.dʁi] [o sjɛl mɔ̃.tent ply ʒwa.jø] [o sjɛl mɔ̃.tent ply ʒwa.jø] [lɛ ak.sɑ̃ d‿ɛ̃ kœʁ pjø] [lɛ ak.sɑ̃ e.my d‿ɛ̃ kœʁ pjø] [lɔʁ.sk‿œ̃ du ʁɛ.jɔ̃ dy swaʁ] [ʒu ɑ̃.kɔʁ dɑ̃ lə bwa nwaʁ] [lə kœʁ sə sɑ̃ ply œ.ʁø pʁɛ də djø] [lwɛ̃ de vɛ̃ bʁɥi d(ə) la plɛn] [l‿am ɑ̃ pɛ ɛ ply s(ə).ʁɛn] [o sjɛl mɔ̃.tɑ̃ ply ʒwa.jø] [o sjɛl mɔ̃.tɑ̃ ply ʒwa.jø] [le ak.sɑ̃ d‿œ̃ kœʁ pjø] [le ak.sɑ̃ e.my d‿œ̃ kœʁ pjø] [lɔʁ.sk(ə) dɑ̃ la sɔ̃.bʁə nɥi] [la fudʁ e.klat a.vɛk bʁɥi] [nɔ.tʁə kœʁ pʁɛ.sɑ̃ ɑ̃.kɔʁ lə djø fɔʁ] [dɑ̃ l‿ɔ.ʁaʒ e la de.tʁɛs] [il ɛ nɔ.tʁə fɔʁ.tə.ʁɛs] [ɔ.fʁɔ̃.lɥi d(ə) kœʁ pjø] [ɔ.fʁɔ̃.lɥi d(ə) kœʁ pjø] [djø nu be.ni.ʁa de sjø] [djø nu be.ni.ʁa dy o de sjø] [de ɡʁɑ̃ mɔ̃ vjɑ̃ lə s(ə).kuʁ] [sɥis ɛs.pɛʁ ɑ̃ djø tu.ʒuʁ] [ɡaʁ.d(ə) la fwa de a.jø vi kɔm ø] [syʁ l‿o.tɛl də la pa.tʁi] [mɛ te bjɛ̃ tɔ̃ kœʁ ta vi] [s‿ɛ lə tʁe.zɔʁ pʁe.sjø] [s‿ɛ lə tʁe.zɔʁ pʁe.sjø] [kə djø nu be.ni.ʁa de sjø] [kə djø nu be.ni.ʁa dy o de sjø] [ˈkwan.do ˈbjon.d‿au̯ˈrɔːra] [il matˈtin t͡ʃinˈdɔːra] [ˈlal.ma ˈmiːa taˈdoːra ˈre ddel ˈt͡ʃɛl] [ˈkwan.do ˈlal.pe ˈd͡ʒa rrosˈsed.d͡ʒa] [a ppreˈɡaːre alˈlor tatˈted.d͡ʒa] [iɱ faˈvor del ˈpaːtrjo ˈswɔl] [iɱ faˈvor del ˈpaːtrjo ˈswɔl] [t͡ʃittaˈdiːno dˈdiːo lo ˈvwɔl] [t͡ʃittaˈdiːno dˈdiːo ˈsi dˈdiːo lo ˈvwɔl] German language German (German: Deutsch , pronounced [dɔʏtʃ] )
632-458: A native tongue today, mostly descendants of German colonial settlers . The period of German colonialism in Namibia also led to the evolution of a Standard German-based pidgin language called " Namibian Black German ", which became a second language for parts of the indigenous population. Although it is nearly extinct today, some older Namibians still have some knowledge of it. German remained
711-410: A nus es er preschent en il stgir dal firmament, ti inperscrutabel spiert, Tutpussent! Tschiel e terra t'obedeschan vents e nivels secundeschan. Mia olma senta ferm, Mia olma senta ferm, Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern. Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern. IV Cur la furia da l'orcan fa tremblar il cor uman alur das ti a nus vigur, Tutpussent! Ed en temporal sgarschaivel stas ti franc
790-553: A nus fidaivel. Mia olma senta ferm, Mia olma senta ferm, Dieu en tschiel, Il bab etern. Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern. I You come along in the dawn, I see you in the sea of rays, You, you exalted, glorious one! When the Alpine snow turns red, Pray, free Swiss, pray, Your pious soul suspects... Your pious soul suspects... God in the noble fatherland! God the Lord in the noble fatherland! II You come along in
869-464: A poem written in 1840 by Leonhard Widmer [ de ] (1809–1867). In the second half of the 19th century, the song became popular and was frequently sung at patriotic celebrations. Between 1894 and 1953, there were repeated suggestions for it to be adopted as official national anthem. In this, it was in competition with " Rufst du, mein Vaterland ", a patriotic song that was widely seen as
SECTION 10
#1732797488783948-696: A popular foreign language among pupils and students, with 300,000 people learning or speaking German in Cameroon in 2010 and over 230,000 in 2020. Today Cameroon is one of the African countries outside Namibia with the highest number of people learning German. In the United States, German is the fifth most spoken language in terms of native and second language speakers after English, Spanish , French , and Chinese (with figures for Cantonese and Mandarin combined), with over 1 million total speakers. In
1027-1541: A pregare allor t'atteggia; in favor del patrio suol, in favor del patrio suol, cittadino Dio lo vuol, cittadino Dio, si Dio lo vuol. II Se di stelle è un giubilo la celeste sfera Te ritrovo a sera o Signor! Nella notte silenziosa l'alma mia in Te riposa: libertà, concordia, amor, libertà, concordia, amor, all'Elvezia serba ognor, all'Elvezia serba ognor. III Se di nubi un velo m'asconde il tuo cielo pel tuo raggio anelo Dio d'amore! Fuga o sole quei vapori e mi rendi i tuoi favori: di mia patria deh! Pietà di mia patria deh! Pietà brilla, o sol di verità, brilla sol, o sol di verità! IV Quando rugge e strepita impetuoso il nembo m'è ostel tuo grembo o Signor! In te fido Onnipossente deh, proteggi nostra gente; Libertà, concordia, amor, Libertà, concordia, amor, all'Elvezia serba ognor all'Elvezia serba ognor. I En l'aurora la damaun ta salida il carstgaun, spiert etern dominatur, Tutpussent! Cur ch'ils munts straglischan sura, ura liber Svizzer, ura. Mia olma senta ferm, Mia olma senta ferm, Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern. Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern. II Er la saira en splendur da las stailas en l'azur tai chattain nus, creatur, Tutpussent! Cur ch'il firmament sclerescha en noss cors fidanza crescha. Mia olma senta ferm, Mia olma senta ferm, Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern. Dieu en tschiel, il bab etern. III Ti
1106-483: A result, the surviving texts are written in highly disparate regional dialects and exhibit significant Latin influence, particularly in vocabulary. At this point monasteries, where most written works were produced, were dominated by Latin, and German saw only occasional use in official and ecclesiastical writing. While there is no complete agreement over the dates of the Middle High German (MHG) period, it
1185-2802: A small percentage can recite it all. Because Switzerland has four national languages , the lyrics of the original German song were adapted into the other three national languages: French , Italian and Romansh . I Trittst im Morgenrot daher, Seh’ ich dich im Strahlenmeer, Dich, du Hocherhabener, Herrlicher! Wenn der Alpenfirn sich rötet, Betet, freie Schweizer, betet, Eure fromme Seele ahnt... Eure fromme Seele ahnt... Gott im hehren Vaterland! Gott, den Herrn im hehren Vaterland! II Kommst im Abendglühn daher, Find ich dich im Sternenheer, Dich, du Menschenfreundlicher, Liebender! In des Himmels lichten Räumen Kann ich froh und selig träumen; Denn die fromme Seele ahnt Denn die fromme Seele ahnt Gott im hehren Vaterland! Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland! III Ziehst im Nebelflor daher, Such ich dich im Wolkenmeer, Dich, du Unergründlicher, Ewiger! Aus dem grauen Luftgebilde Bricht die Sonne klar und milde, Und die fromme Seele ahnt Und die fromme Seele ahnt Gott im hehren Vaterland! Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland! IV Fährst im wilden Sturm daher, Bist du selbst uns Hort und Wehr, Du, allmächtig Waltender, Rettender! In Gewitternacht und Grauen Lasst uns kindlich ihm vertrauen! Ja, die fromme Seele ahnt Ja, die fromme Seele ahnt Gott im hehren Vaterland! Gott, den Herrn, im hehren Vaterland! I Sur nos monts, quand le soleil Annonce un brillant réveil, Et prédit d'un plus beau jour le retour, Les beautés de la patrie Parlent à l'âme attendrie; Au ciel montent plus joyeux Au ciel montent plus joyeux Les accents d'un cœur pieux, Les accents émus d'un cœur pieux. II Lorsqu'un doux rayon du soir Joue encore dans le bois noir, Le cœur se sent plus heureux près de Dieu Loin des vain bruits de la plaine L'âme en paix est plus sereine; Au ciel montent plus joyeux, Au ciel montent plus joyeux, Les accents d'un cœur pieux, Les accents émus d'un cœur pieux. III Lorsque dans la sombre nuit La foudre éclate avec bruit, Notre cœur pressent encore le Dieu fort. Dans l'orage et la détresse, Il est notre forteresse. Offrons-lui de cœurs pieux Offrons-lui de cœurs pieux Dieu nous bénira des cieux, Dieu nous bénira du haut des cieux. IV Des grand monts vient le secours, Suisse! espère en Dieu toujours! Garde la foi des aïeux, vis comme eux! Sur l'autel de la patrie Met tes biens, ton cœur, ta vie! C'est le trésor précieux C'est le trésor précieux Que Dieu nous bénira des cieux, Que Dieu nous bénira du haut des cieux. I Quando bionda aurora il mattin c'indora l'alma mia t'adora re del ciel! Quando l'alpe già rosseggia
1264-717: Is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family , mainly spoken in Western and Central Europe . It is the most spoken native language within the European Union . It is the most widely spoken and official (or co-official) language in Germany , Austria , Switzerland , Liechtenstein , and the Italian autonomous province of South Tyrol . It is also an official language of Luxembourg , Belgium and
1343-601: Is a recognized minority language in the following countries: In France, the High German varieties of Alsatian and Moselle Franconian are identified as " regional languages ", but the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of 1998 has not yet been ratified by the government. Namibia also was a colony of the German Empire, from 1884 to 1915. About 30,000 people still speak German as
1422-612: Is also notable for its broad spectrum of dialects , with many varieties existing in Europe and other parts of the world. Some of these non-standard varieties have become recognized and protected by regional or national governments. Since 2004, heads of state of the German-speaking countries have met every year, and the Council for German Orthography has been the main international body regulating German orthography . German
1501-558: Is an Indo-European language that belongs to the West Germanic group of the Germanic languages . The Germanic languages are traditionally subdivided into three branches: North Germanic , East Germanic , and West Germanic . The first of these branches survives in modern Danish , Swedish , Norwegian , Faroese , and Icelandic , all of which are descended from Old Norse . The East Germanic languages are now extinct, and Gothic
1580-478: Is called the "German Sprachraum ". German is the official language of the following countries: German is a co-official language of the following countries: Although expulsions and (forced) assimilation after the two World wars greatly diminished them, minority communities of mostly bilingual German native speakers exist in areas both adjacent to and detached from the Sprachraum. Within Europe, German
1659-430: Is complicated by the existence of several varieties whose status as separate "languages" or "dialects" is disputed for political and linguistic reasons, including quantitatively strong varieties like certain forms of Alemannic and Low German . With the inclusion or exclusion of certain varieties, it is estimated that approximately 90–95 million people speak German as a first language , 10–25 million speak it as
SECTION 20
#17327974887831738-535: Is generally seen as ending when the 1346–53 Black Death decimated Europe's population. Modern High German begins with the Early New High German (ENHG) period, which Wilhelm Scherer dates 1350–1650, terminating with the end of the Thirty Years' War . This period saw the further displacement of Latin by German as the primary language of courtly proceedings and, increasingly, of literature in
1817-611: Is generally seen as lasting from 1050 to 1350. This was a period of significant expansion of the geographical territory occupied by Germanic tribes, and consequently of the number of German speakers. Whereas during the Old High German period the Germanic tribes extended only as far east as the Elbe and Saale rivers, the MHG period saw a number of these tribes expanding beyond this eastern boundary into Slavic territory (known as
1896-565: Is less closely related to languages based on Low Franconian dialects (e.g., Dutch and Afrikaans), Low German or Low Saxon dialects (spoken in northern Germany and southern Denmark ), neither of which underwent the High German consonant shift. As has been noted, the former of these dialect types is Istvaeonic and the latter Ingvaeonic, whereas the High German dialects are all Irminonic; the differences between these languages and standard German are therefore considerable. Also related to German are
1975-435: Is one of the major languages of the world . German is the second-most widely spoken Germanic language , after English, both as a first and as a second language . German is also widely taught as a foreign language , especially in continental Europe (where it is the third most taught foreign language after English and French), and in the United States. Overall, German is the fourth most commonly learned second language, and
2054-597: Is one of the three biggest newspapers in Namibia and the only German-language daily in Africa. An estimated 12,000 people speak German or a German variety as a first language in South Africa, mostly originating from different waves of immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the largest communities consists of the speakers of "Nataler Deutsch", a variety of Low German concentrated in and around Wartburg . The South African constitution identifies German as
2133-474: Is our fortress. Let us offer him our pious hearts, Let us offer him our pious hearts, God will bless us from the heavens, God will bless us from the top of the heavens. IV From the great mountains comes help, Switzerland! Always trust in God! Keep your ancestors' faith, live like they did On the homeland's altar, Place your belongings, your heart, your life! This is the precious treasure, This
2212-401: Is partly derived from Latin and Greek , along with fewer words borrowed from French and Modern English . English, however, is the main source of more recent loanwords . German is a pluricentric language ; the three standardized variants are German , Austrian , and Swiss Standard German . Standard German is sometimes called High German , which refers to its regional origin. German
2291-525: Is the Sachsenspiegel , the first book of laws written in Middle Low German ( c. 1220 ). The abundance and especially the secular character of the literature of the MHG period demonstrate the beginnings of a standardized written form of German, as well as the desire of poets and authors to be understood by individuals on supra-dialectal terms. The Middle High German period
2370-578: Is the only language in this branch which survives in written texts. The West Germanic languages, however, have undergone extensive dialectal subdivision and are now represented in modern languages such as English, German, Dutch , Yiddish , Afrikaans , and others. Within the West Germanic language dialect continuum, the Benrath and Uerdingen lines (running through Düsseldorf - Benrath and Krefeld - Uerdingen , respectively) serve to distinguish
2449-481: Is the precious treasure, God will bless us from the heavens, God will bless us from the top of the heavens. I When the blond dawn gilds the morning my soul adores you, king of heaven! When the Alps are already red then you set yourself to pray; in favor of the native land, in favor of the native land, God wants you to be a citizen, God wants you to be a citizen, yes God wants you to be. II If
Swiss Psalm - Misplaced Pages Continue
2528-485: Is understood in all areas where German is spoken. Approximate distribution of native German speakers (assuming a rounded total of 95 million) worldwide: As a result of the German diaspora , as well as the popularity of German taught as a foreign language , the geographical distribution of German speakers (or "Germanophones") spans all inhabited continents. However, an exact, global number of native German speakers
2607-689: The Ostsiedlung ). With the increasing wealth and geographic spread of the Germanic groups came greater use of German in the courts of nobles as the standard language of official proceedings and literature. A clear example of this is the mittelhochdeutsche Dichtersprache employed in the Hohenstaufen court in Swabia as a standardized supra-dialectal written language. While these efforts were still regionally bound, German began to be used in place of Latin for certain official purposes, leading to
2686-639: The Alamanni , Bavarian, and Thuringian groups, all belonging to the Elbe Germanic group ( Irminones ), which had settled in what is now southern-central Germany and Austria between the second and sixth centuries, during the great migration. In general, the surviving texts of Old High German (OHG) show a wide range of dialectal diversity with very little written uniformity. The early written tradition of OHG survived mostly through monasteries and scriptoria as local translations of Latin originals; as
2765-537: The Early Middle Ages . German is an inflected language , with four cases for nouns, pronouns, and adjectives (nominative, accusative, genitive, dative); three genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and two numbers (singular, plural). It has strong and weak verbs . The majority of its vocabulary derives from the ancient Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, while a smaller share
2844-417: The European Union 's population, spoke German as their mother tongue, making it the second most widely spoken language on the continent after Russian and the second biggest language in terms of overall speakers (after English), as well as the most spoken native language. The area in central Europe where the majority of the population speaks German as a first language and has German as a (co-)official language
2923-522: The German states . While these states were still part of the Holy Roman Empire , and far from any form of unification, the desire for a cohesive written language that would be understandable across the many German-speaking principalities and kingdoms was stronger than ever. As a spoken language German remained highly fractured throughout this period, with a vast number of often mutually incomprehensible regional dialects being spoken throughout
3002-746: The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I , and the other being Meißner Deutsch , used in the Electorate of Saxony in the Duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg . Alongside these courtly written standards, the invention of the printing press led to the development of a number of printers' languages ( Druckersprachen ) aimed at making printed material readable and understandable across as many diverse dialects of German as possible. The greater ease of production and increased availability of written texts brought about increased standardisation in
3081-666: The Old High German language in several Elder Futhark inscriptions from as early as the sixth century AD (such as the Pforzen buckle ), the Old High German period is generally seen as beginning with the Abrogans (written c. 765–775 ), a Latin-German glossary supplying over 3,000 Old High German words with their Latin equivalents. After the Abrogans , the first coherent works written in Old High German appear in
3160-676: The Sprachraum in Europe. German is used in a wide variety of spheres throughout the country, especially in business, tourism, and public signage, as well as in education, churches (most notably the German-speaking Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia (GELK) ), other cultural spheres such as music, and media (such as German language radio programs by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation ). The Allgemeine Zeitung
3239-550: The Standard German language in its written form, and the Duden Handbook was declared its standard definition. Punctuation and compound spelling (joined or isolated compounds) were not standardized in the process. The Deutsche Bühnensprache ( lit. ' German stage language ' ) by Theodor Siebs had established conventions for German pronunciation in theatres , three years earlier; however, this
Swiss Psalm - Misplaced Pages Continue
3318-513: The Upper German dialects spoken in the southern German-speaking countries , such as Swiss German ( Alemannic dialects ) and the various Germanic dialects spoken in the French region of Grand Est , such as Alsatian (mainly Alemannic, but also Central–and Upper Franconian dialects) and Lorraine Franconian (Central Franconian). After these High German dialects, standard German
3397-458: The de facto national anthem but was never given official status. The Swiss Psalm temporarily became the national anthem in 1961. After a trial period of three years, the Swiss tune was adopted indefinitely in 1965. The statute could not be challenged until ten years later but did not totally exclude the possibility of an ultimate change. A competition was set up in 1979 to search for a successor to
3476-469: The pagan Germanic tradition. Of particular interest to scholars, however, has been the Hildebrandslied , a secular epic poem telling the tale of an estranged father and son unknowingly meeting each other in battle. Linguistically, this text is highly interesting due to the mixed use of Old Saxon and Old High German dialects in its composition. The written works of this period stem mainly from
3555-723: The Empire. Its use indicated that the speaker was a merchant or someone from an urban area, regardless of nationality. Prague (German: Prag ) and Budapest ( Buda , German: Ofen ), to name two examples, were gradually Germanized in the years after their incorporation into the Habsburg domain; others, like Pressburg ( Pozsony , now Bratislava), were originally settled during the Habsburg period and were primarily German at that time. Prague, Budapest, Bratislava, and cities like Zagreb (German: Agram ) or Ljubljana (German: Laibach ), contained significant German minorities. In
3634-748: The Frisian languages— North Frisian (spoken in Nordfriesland ), Saterland Frisian (spoken in Saterland ), and West Frisian (spoken in Friesland )—as well as the Anglic languages of English and Scots. These Anglo-Frisian dialects did not take part in the High German consonant shift, and the Anglic languages also adopted much vocabulary from both Old Norse and the Norman language . The history of
3713-536: The German language begins with the High German consonant shift during the Migration Period , which separated Old High German dialects from Old Saxon . This sound shift involved a drastic change in the pronunciation of both voiced and voiceless stop consonants ( b , d , g , and p , t , k , respectively). The primary effects of the shift were the following below. While there is written evidence of
3792-451: The German states; the invention of the printing press c. 1440 and the publication of Luther's vernacular translation of the Bible in 1534, however, had an immense effect on standardizing German as a supra-dialectal written language. The ENHG period saw the rise of several important cross-regional forms of chancery German, one being gemeine tiutsch , used in the court of
3871-681: The Germanic dialects that were affected by the High German consonant shift (south of Benrath) from those that were not (north of Uerdingen). The various regional dialects spoken south of these lines are grouped as High German dialects, while those spoken to the north comprise the Low German and Low Franconian dialects. As members of the West Germanic language family, High German, Low German, and Low Franconian have been proposed to be further distinguished historically as Irminonic , Ingvaeonic , and Istvaeonic , respectively. This classification indicates their historical descent from dialects spoken by
3950-655: The Irminones (also known as the Elbe group), Ingvaeones (or North Sea Germanic group), and Istvaeones (or Weser–Rhine group). Standard German is based on a combination of Thuringian - Upper Saxon and Upper Franconian dialects, which are Central German and Upper German dialects belonging to the High German dialect group. German is therefore closely related to the other languages based on High German dialects, such as Luxembourgish (based on Central Franconian dialects ) and Yiddish . Also closely related to Standard German are
4029-865: The Italian autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia , as well as a recognized national language in Namibia . There are also notable German-speaking communities in France ( Alsace ), the Czech Republic ( North Bohemia ), Poland ( Upper Silesia ), Slovakia ( Košice Region , Spiš , and Hauerland ), Denmark ( North Schleswig ), Romania and Hungary ( Sopron ). Overseas, sizeable communities of German-speakers are found in Brazil ( Blumenau and Pomerode ), South Africa ( Kroondal ), Namibia , among others, some communities have decidedly Austrian German or Swiss German characters (e.g. Pozuzo , Peru). German
SECTION 50
#17327974887834108-518: The MHG period. Significantly, these texts include a number of impressive secular works, such as the Nibelungenlied , an epic poem telling the story of the dragon -slayer Siegfried ( c. thirteenth century ), and the Iwein , an Arthurian verse poem by Hartmann von Aue ( c. 1203 ), lyric poems , and courtly romances such as Parzival and Tristan . Also noteworthy
4187-543: The anthem. Despite many submissions, none of the others seemed to express the Swiss sentiment. The Swiss anthem finally got its definitive statutory status in April 1981, the Federal Council maintaining that it was purely a Swiss song suitably dignified and solemn. The popularity of the song has not been established. At least, it has been shown with several vox pops taken that many people do not know it at all, and only
4266-522: The darkness of the firmament, you unfathomable spirit, Almighty! Heaven and earth obey you, winds and snowflakes follow you. My soul feels strong, My soul feels strong, God in heaven, the eternal Father. God in heaven, the eternal Father. IV When the fury of the hurricane makes the human heart tremble then give us strength, Almighty! And in the dreadful storm you stay true to us trustworthy. My soul feels strong, My soul feels strong, God in heaven,
4345-430: The development of non-local forms of language and exposed all speakers to forms of German from outside their own area. With Luther's rendering of the Bible in the vernacular, German asserted itself against the dominance of Latin as a legitimate language for courtly, literary, and now ecclesiastical subject-matter. His Bible was ubiquitous in the German states: nearly every household possessed a copy. Nevertheless, even with
4424-456: The dialect so as to make the work as natural and accessible to German speakers as possible. Copies of Luther's Bible featured a long list of glosses for each region, translating words which were unknown in the region into the regional dialect. Luther said the following concerning his translation method: One who would talk German does not ask the Latin how he shall do it; he must ask the mother in
4503-519: The eastern provinces of Banat , Bukovina , and Transylvania (German: Banat, Buchenland, Siebenbürgen ), German was the predominant language not only in the larger towns—like Temeschburg ( Timișoara ), Hermannstadt ( Sibiu ), and Kronstadt ( Brașov )—but also in many smaller localities in the surrounding areas. In 1901, the Second Orthographic Conference ended with a (nearly) complete standardization of
4582-415: The eternal Father. God in heaven, the eternal Father. II Also in the evening in splendor of the stars in the azure we find you, Creator, Almighty! When the firmament brightens in our hearts faith grows. My soul feels strong, My soul feels strong, God in heaven, the eternal Father. God in heaven, the eternal Father. III You are also present to us in
4661-1522: The eternal Father. God in heaven, the eternal Father. [trɪt͡st ɪm ˈmɔrɡn̩ˌroːt daˈheːr] [seː ɪç dɪç ɪm ˈʃtraːlən meːr] [dɪç duː ˈhoːx ɛrˈhaːbn̩ər ˈhɛrlɪçər] [vɛn deːr ˈalpn̩fɪrn sɪç ˈrøːtət] [ˈbeːtət ˈfraɪ̯ɛ ˈʃvaɪ̯t͡sər ˈbeːtət] [ˈɔʏ̯rɛ ˈfrɔmɛ ˈseːlɛ aːnt] [ˈɔʏ̯rɛ ˈfrɔmɛ ˈseːlɛ aːnt] [ɡɔt ɪm ˈheːrən ˈfaːtərˌland] [ɡɔt dɛn hɛrn ɪm ˈheːrən ˈfaːtərˌland] [kɔmst ɪm ˈaːbn̩dˌɡlyːn daˈheːr] [fɪnt ɪç dɪç ɪm ˈʃtɛrnənheːr] [dɪç duː ˈmɛnʃn̩ˌfrɔʏ̯ndlɪçˌheːr ˈliːbn̩dər] [ɪn dɛs ˈhɪml̩s ˈlɪçtn̩ ˈrɔʏ̯mən] [kan ɪç froː ʊnd ˈseːlɪç ˈtrɔʏ̯mən] [dɛn diː ˈfrɔmɛ ˈseːlɛ aːnt] [dɛn diː ˈfrɔmɛ ˈseːlɛ aːnt] [ɡɔt ɪm ˈheːrən ˈfaːtərˌland] [ɡɔt dɛn hɛrn ɪm ˈheːrən ˈfaːtərˌland] [t͡siːst ɪm ˈneːbl̩floːr daˈheːr] [suːx ɪç dɪç ɪm ˈvɔlkn̩ˌmeːr] [dɪç duː ʊnɛrˈɡrʏndlɪçər ˈeːvɪɡər] [aʊ̯s dɛm ˈɡraʊ̯ən ˈlʊftɡəˌbɪldə] [brɪçt diː ˈsɔnɛ klaːr ʊnd ˈmɪldə] [ʊnd diː ˈfrɔmɛ ˈseːlɛ aːnt] [ʊnd diː ˈfrɔmɛ ˈseːlɛ aːnt] [ɡɔt ɪm ˈheːrən ˈfaːtərˌland] [ɡɔt dɛn hɛrn ɪm ˈheːrən ˈfaːtərˌland] [fɛːrst ɪm ˈvɪldn̩ ʃtʊrm daˈheːr] [bɪst duː sɛlpst ʊns hɔrt ʊnd veːr] [duː alˈmɛçtɪç ˈvaltn̩dər ˈrɛtn̩dər] [ɪn ɡəˈvɪtərˌnaxt ʊnd ˈɡraʊ̯ən] [last ʊns ˈkɪndlɪç ɪm fɛrˈtraʊ̯ən] [jaː diː ˈfrɔmɛ ˈseːlɛ aːnt] [jaː diː ˈfrɔmɛ ˈseːlɛ aːnt] [ɡɔt ɪm ˈheːrən ˈfaːtərˌland] [ɡɔt dɛn hɛrn ɪm ˈheːrən ˈfaːtərˌland] [syʁ no mɔ̃ kɑ̃ lə sɔ.lɛj] [a.nɔ̃s ɛ̃ bʁi.jɑ̃ ʁe.vɛj] [ˈet pʁe.dit d‿ɛ̃ ply bo ʒwe lə ʁə.tuʁ] [lɛ bo.te də la pa.tʁi] [paʁl
4740-412: The evening glow, I find you in the starry army, You, you philanthropist, lover! In the bright spaces of heaven Can I dream happily and happily; For the pious soul suspects For the pious soul suspects God in the noble fatherland! God the Lord in the noble fatherland! III You move along in the mist, I'm looking for you in the sea of clouds, You, you unfathomable, eternal one! From
4819-414: The gray air structure The sun breaks clear and mild, And the pious soul suspects And the pious soul suspects God in the noble fatherland! God the Lord in the noble fatherland! IV You drive along in a wild storm, You yourself are our refuge and defense, You, all-powerful ruler, savior! In thunderstorm night and horror Let us childlike trust in him! Yes, the pious soul suspects Yes,
SECTION 60
#17327974887834898-435: The home, the children on the streets, the common man in the market-place and note carefully how they talk, then translate accordingly. They will then understand what is said to them because it is German. When Christ says ' ex abundantia cordis os loquitur ,' I would translate, if I followed the papists, aus dem Überflusz des Herzens redet der Mund . But tell me is this talking German? What German understands such stuff? No,
4977-481: The influence of Luther's Bible as an unofficial written standard, a widely accepted standard for written German did not appear until the middle of the eighteenth century. German was the language of commerce and government in the Habsburg Empire , which encompassed a large area of Central and Eastern Europe . Until the mid-nineteenth century, it was essentially the language of townspeople throughout most of
5056-402: The mother in the home and the plain man would say, Wesz das Herz voll ist, des gehet der Mund über . Luther's translation of the Bible into High German was also decisive for the German language and its evolution from Early New High German to modern Standard German. The publication of Luther's Bible was a decisive moment in the spread of literacy in early modern Germany , and promoted
5135-653: The ninth century, chief among them being the Muspilli , Merseburg charms , and Hildebrandslied , and other religious texts (the Georgslied , Ludwigslied , Evangelienbuch , and translated hymns and prayers). The Muspilli is a Christian poem written in a Bavarian dialect offering an account of the soul after the Last Judgment , and the Merseburg charms are transcriptions of spells and charms from
5214-417: The pious soul suspects God in the noble fatherland! God the Lord in the noble fatherland! I On our mountains, when the sun Announces a bright awakening, And predicted the return of a prettier day, The homeland's beauties Speak to the tender soul; To heaven, rise more joyfully, To heaven, rise more joyfully, The accents of a pious heart, The moved accents of a pious heart. II When
5293-462: The pronunciation of the ending -ig as [ɪk] instead of [ɪç]. In Northern Germany, High German was a foreign language to most inhabitants, whose native dialects were subsets of Low German. It was usually encountered only in writing or formal speech; in fact, most of High German was a written language, not identical to any spoken dialect, throughout the German-speaking area until well into the 19th century. However, wider standardization of pronunciation
5372-405: The psalm as the official anthem. This was because the council wanted the people to express their say on what they wanted as a national anthem. From 1961 to 1981, it provisionally replaced " Rufst du, mein Vaterland " ("When You Call, My Country"; French " Ô monts indépendants "; Italian " Ci chiami o patria ", Romansh " E clomas, tger paeis "), the anthem by Johann Rudolf Wyss (1743–1818) that
5451-537: The stars are a jubilation the celestial sphere I find you again in the evening, O Lord! In the silent night my soul rests in you: freedom, harmony, love, freedom, harmony, love, for Helvetia it always keeps, for Helvetia it always keeps. III If a veil of clouds hides your sky from me for your ray I yearn, God of love! Flee, O sun, those vapors and give me back your favors: of my country, oh! Have mercy on my country, oh! Mercy shines, oh sun of truth, shines, oh sun of truth! IV When
5530-546: The states of North Dakota and South Dakota , German is the most common language spoken at home after English. As a legacy of significant German immigration to the country , German geographical names can be found throughout the Midwest region , such as New Ulm and Bismarck (North Dakota's state capital), plus many other regions. A number of German varieties have developed in the country and are still spoken today, such as Pennsylvania Dutch and Texas German . In Brazil,
5609-462: The storm roars and thunders the impetuous storm is my shelter, oh Lord! In you, faithful Almighty ah, protect our people; Freedom, harmony, love, Freedom, harmony, love, for Helvetia always for Helvetia always. I In the dawn of the morning the earthly being rises, eternal spirit, ruler, Almighty! When the mountains shine above, now free Swiss, now. My soul feels strong, My soul feels strong, God in heaven,
5688-500: The third most commonly learned second language in the United States in K-12 education. The language has been influential in the fields of philosophy, theology, science, and technology. It is the second most commonly used language in science and the third most widely used language on websites . The German-speaking countries are ranked fifth in terms of annual publication of new books, with one-tenth of all books (including e-books) in
5767-555: The world being published in German. German is most closely related to other West Germanic languages, namely Afrikaans , Dutch , English , the Frisian languages , and Scots . It also contains close similarities in vocabulary to some languages in the North Germanic group , such as Danish , Norwegian , and Swedish . Modern German gradually developed from Old High German , which in turn developed from Proto-Germanic during
5846-600: The written form of German. One of the central events in the development of ENHG was the publication of Luther's translation of the Bible into High German (the New Testament was published in 1522; the Old Testament was published in parts and completed in 1534). Luther based his translation primarily on the Meißner Deutsch of Saxony , spending much time among the population of Saxony researching
5925-429: Was a "neutral" language as there were virtually no English native speakers in Namibia at that time. German, Afrikaans, and several indigenous languages thus became "national languages" by law, identifying them as elements of the cultural heritage of the nation and ensuring that the state acknowledged and supported their presence in the country. Today, Namibia is considered to be the only German-speaking country outside of
6004-547: Was an artificial standard that did not correspond to any traditional spoken dialect. Rather, it was based on the pronunciation of German in Northern Germany, although it was subsequently regarded often as a general prescriptive norm, despite differing pronunciation traditions especially in the Upper-German-speaking regions that still characterise the dialect of the area today – especially
6083-492: Was established on the basis of public speaking in theatres and the media during the 20th century and documented in pronouncing dictionaries. Official revisions of some of the rules from 1901 were not issued until the controversial German orthography reform of 1996 was made the official standard by governments of all German-speaking countries. Media and written works are now almost all produced in Standard German which
6162-743: Was set to the melody of " God Save the King ". On 1 April 1981, the Swiss Psalm was declared the official Swiss national anthem. In 2014, the Schweizerische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft [ de ] organized a public competition and unofficial vote to change the lyrics of the national anthem. The German-language patriotic song " Rufst du, mein Vaterland " (French " Ô monts indépendants ", Italian " Ci chiami o patria ", Romansh " E clomas, tger paeis "), composed in 1811 by Johann Rudolf Wyss (1743–1818),
6241-459: Was used as the de facto national anthem from about 1850. The setting of the hymn to the British tune of " God Save the King " led to confusing situations when both countries' anthems were played. Therefore, it was replaced with another tune in 1961. The Swiss Psalm was composed in 1841 by Alberich Zwyssig (1808–1854). Zwyssig used a tune he had composed in 1835 and slightly altered the words of
#782217