The Historical Development of the Types of the First Person Plural Imperative in German: A Dissertation Submitted to the Philosophical Faculty of the Johns Hopkins University for the Degree of Doctor - Hardcover

William Kurrelmeyer

9780267847488: The Historical Development of the Types of the First Person Plural Imperative in German: A Dissertation Submitted to the Philosophical Faculty of the Johns Hopkins University for the Degree of Doctor

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0267847483 ISBN 13: 9780267847488

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

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Explore how German speakers said “let us” in commands across centuries.

This scholarly study traces the historical development of the first person plural imperative in German, including Low German, Dutch, and Gothic, to explain how eight distinct forms emerged and spread. Through careful analysis of medieval and early modern texts, it shows how dialect, date, and translation work together to shape usage, with a strong focus on pre‑Lutheran Bibles and biblical glosses.

The book frames the topic with a clear scope: it surveys Middle German, Low German, Alemannic (including Alsatian), and related dialects, then explains how each form evolves over time. It highlights eight key types and explains their distribution by dialect and period. A central method is comparing biblical translations and other religious texts to verify forms and dates, providing a concrete basis for dating and dialect identification. The work also situates the topic within the broader history of Germanic languages, including Gothic, to show long‑term patterns in pronoun and verb forms.
What you’ll experience

A chronological treatment of German dialects from Middle High German to early modern varieties.
A close look at eight imperative types and how they survive or fade in different texts.
A practical approach using Bible translations and other religious writings to date forms and trace origins.
A discussion of how linguistic evidence supports dating and original dialects for biblical and secular texts.

Ideal for readers of historical linguistics, German philology, and anyone curious about how small shifts in verb forms reveal big changes in language.

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