Languages in the Lutheran Reformation: Textual Networks and the Spread of Ideas

This collection of essays charts the influence of the Lutheran Reformation on various (northern) European languages and texts written in them. The central themes of Languages in the Lutheran Reformation: Textual Networks and the Spread of Ideas are: how the ideas related to Lutheranism were adapted to the new areas, new languages, and new contexts during the Reformation period in the 16th and 17th centuries; and how the Reformation affected the standardization of the languages. Networks of texts, knowledge, and authors belong to the topics of the present volume. The contributions look into language use, language culture, and translation activities during the Reformation, but also in the prelude to the Reformation as well as after it, in the early modern period. The contributors are experts in the study of their respective languages, including Czech, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, High German, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Low German, Norwegian, Polish, and Swedish. The primary texts explored in the essays are Bible translations, but genres other than biblical are also discussed.

Mikko Kauko, PhD (2015) in Scandinavian Languages, is a researcher at the University of Turku. His interests include Old Swedish Brigittine texts, Middle Low German documents, and Latin influences on the Swedish language. Kauko has published several articles on these topics.
Miika Norro is a doctoral student in Cultural History at the School of History, Culture and Arts Studies, University of Turku. He is interested in the textual culture of French nobility in the High Middle Ages.
Kirsi-Maria Nummila, PhD (2012) in Finnish Language, is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Turku. Her research focuses on old written Finnish, language contacts in the early modern period, and historical linguistics.
Tanja Toropainen, PhD (2017) in Finnish Language, is a teacher at the University of Turku. She is interested in historical lexicology, and has published several articles on word formation in Old Literary Finnish.
Tuomo Fonsén, PhD (2006) in German Language, is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Turku. His interests include Early Modern grammaticography and vernacular Bible translations.