Historic Colognian
Encyclopedia
Historic Colognian or Old Colognian is the spoken and written language that was used in the time from the 12th century to the 18th century in the city of Cologne
in the German Empire
, before the current modern Colognian
idiom developed. The German name for it is . It has been thoroughly researched and documented in publications including a dictionary by Prof. Dr. Adam Wrede (1875-1960), a linguist of the University of Cologne
. He also published a dictionary of modern Colognian, having regular reprints until today. It was mainly Wrede who coined the term .
Since the middle of the fifth century, Cologne was under the rule of the Franks
, who took over after close to 500 years of Roman rule
. The Franks brought their own language, which over time replaced Latin
as the common language of the citizens. The historic Colognian language developed during the 12th century, latest, based on the Ripuarian version of Old Franconian
and Old Lower Franconian, which were used in the city and in the (large) surrounding areas which were more or less controlled by Colognian authorities, and based on the Old High German
of the South. Old Franconian developed into a huge variety of dialect
s, including most of Middle German
and Luxembourgish, Old Low Franconian developed into modern Dutch
, Afrikaans
and others. Old High German developed into today's German
, and others. Historic Colognian thus was influenced by High German already in the middle ages
.
The Old Colognian was not only spoken. Being used in writing and later in print, both by church and mundane office sources in the city and about, as well as being used by normal citizens, it was well preserved up to our times, and displays a rich variety of all kinds of language use. Beginning in the first half of the 16th century, even literary sources exist. One 16th century source is the so called Book Weinsberg, a kind of diary of a son of a Colognian patrician, Hermann von Weinsberg, who writes about his own life from youth to adulthood and age. Most remarkably, with his writing, he puts himself next to the kings of his time, usually the only ones about whose lives written records exist.
During the 16th century, the New High German
language influence in Cologne and along the Rhine increased, and it changed the way of writing used in the kontors and in print. The ways, people talked did not go with it, at least not for ordinary ones, the lower ranked, the less. We know this from later documents of the 18th century, when writings in Colognian increased again. They document how the language developed into current Colognian.
Towards the end of the 16th century, the mostly lower Franconian based writing system was gradually given up, and replaced by the developing New High German writing system. Since then, spoken and written languages in Cologne went quite different ways. Since then, also written documents in historic Colognian become scarce.
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in the German Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
, before the current modern Colognian
Kölsch language
Kölsch is a very closely related small set of dialects, or variants, of the Ripuarian Central German group of languages. Kölsch is spoken in and partially around Cologne in the area covered by the Archdiocese and former Electorate of Cologne reaching from Neuss in the north to just south of Bonn,...
idiom developed. The German name for it is . It has been thoroughly researched and documented in publications including a dictionary by Prof. Dr. Adam Wrede (1875-1960), a linguist of the University of Cologne
University of Cologne
The University of Cologne is one of the oldest universities in Europe and, with over 44,000 students, one of the largest universities in Germany. The university is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, an association of Germany's leading research universities...
. He also published a dictionary of modern Colognian, having regular reprints until today. It was mainly Wrede who coined the term .
Since the middle of the fifth century, Cologne was under the rule of the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
, who took over after close to 500 years of Roman rule
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. The Franks brought their own language, which over time replaced Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
as the common language of the citizens. The historic Colognian language developed during the 12th century, latest, based on the Ripuarian version of Old Franconian
Old Frankish language
Old Frankish is an extinct West Germanic language, once spoken by the Franks. It is the parent language of the Franconian languages, of which Dutch and Afrikaans are the most known descendants...
and Old Lower Franconian, which were used in the city and in the (large) surrounding areas which were more or less controlled by Colognian authorities, and based on the Old High German
Old High German
The term Old High German refers to the earliest stage of the German language and it conventionally covers the period from around 500 to 1050. Coherent written texts do not appear until the second half of the 8th century, and some treat the period before 750 as 'prehistoric' and date the start of...
of the South. Old Franconian developed into a huge variety of dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s, including most of Middle German
Middle German
In linguistics, Middle German can refer to a few variants of the German language:* Middle Low German , the northern dialects in the 11th-15th centuries...
and Luxembourgish, Old Low Franconian developed into modern Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
and others. Old High German developed into today's German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, and others. Historic Colognian thus was influenced by High German already in the middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
The Old Colognian was not only spoken. Being used in writing and later in print, both by church and mundane office sources in the city and about, as well as being used by normal citizens, it was well preserved up to our times, and displays a rich variety of all kinds of language use. Beginning in the first half of the 16th century, even literary sources exist. One 16th century source is the so called Book Weinsberg, a kind of diary of a son of a Colognian patrician, Hermann von Weinsberg, who writes about his own life from youth to adulthood and age. Most remarkably, with his writing, he puts himself next to the kings of his time, usually the only ones about whose lives written records exist.
During the 16th century, the New High German
New High German
New High German is the term used for the most recent period in the history of the German language. It is a translation of the German Neuhochdeutsch...
language influence in Cologne and along the Rhine increased, and it changed the way of writing used in the kontors and in print. The ways, people talked did not go with it, at least not for ordinary ones, the lower ranked, the less. We know this from later documents of the 18th century, when writings in Colognian increased again. They document how the language developed into current Colognian.
Towards the end of the 16th century, the mostly lower Franconian based writing system was gradually given up, and replaced by the developing New High German writing system. Since then, spoken and written languages in Cologne went quite different ways. Since then, also written documents in historic Colognian become scarce.