Mittelhochdeutsche

Mittelhochdeutsch is the stage of the German language spoken in the central and southern German-speaking areas roughly from 1050 to 1350. It marks the middle period between Old High German and Early New High German, and encompasses a variety of regional dialects, including Franconian, Bavarian, Alemannic, Thuringian, and East Central German varieties.

Linguistically, Mittelhochdeutsch exhibits the shift from Old High German phonology and inflection toward features that would shape Early New High German. Dialects share a core grammar: noun inflection with case, gender, and number, though the system becomes somewhat simplified compared with OHG; the use of umlaut becomes more productive; development of periphrastic verb forms; and somewhat more fixed word order in poetry, though there is still strong regional variation. Texts were written in a Latin-based script, with orthographic practices far from standardized.

Literature flourished in this period, notably Minnesang (courtly love lyrics) and a range of narrative and didactic works. Major authors include Wolfram von Eschenbach, Hartmann von Aue, Gottfried von Strassburg, and Rudolf von Ems. The Nibelungenlied, usually dated to the early 13th century, is the most famous epic of Mittelhochdeutsch and had a lasting influence on German literature.

Legacy: Mittelhochdeutsch provided the linguistic foundation for Early New High German and contributed to the consolidation of literary and courtly culture in medieval German-speaking areas. It remains a central focus of philology for studying medieval German language and literature.