A History of the German Language (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Buchan, John William

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1440040796 ISBN 13: 9781440040795

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Discover how German words, place names, and metaphors reveal the language’s history and culture.

This nonfiction guide explains how language mirrors the way people think, feel, and move through their world. It shows how everyday words carry echoes of old beliefs, landscapes, and social ties, offering a clear path from sound to meaning. You’ll see how sensory ideas become language, how time and space shape expression, and how place names tell stories about people and places.

Through concrete examples and accessible explanations, the book connects language to culture. It highlights the practical lessons behind etymology, metaphor, and the transformation of word forms over time. Readers will gain a deeper appreciation for why German expressions feel familiar yet carry layers of history.

• How words derive from sensory experiences and bodily concepts.
• Ways metaphors link mind and world, shaping everyday speech.
• How time and place influence the way language is named and used.
• Examples of place names and how their forms reveal shifting landscapes and settlements.

Ideal for readers curious about language, history, and culture, especially those seeking practical insight into how words carry meaning across generations.

About this title

Product Description

German language to justify the undertaking. My object has been to produce a book that would be read with interest, and could be read with profit, by people whose knowledge of German does not extend much beyond the rudiments and who know next to nothing of comparative philology. While not primarily intended as a manual for the classroom, it is believed that it can be used with advantage in connection with any German grammar. It has been my constant aim to make duly prominent the common origin of theE nglish and German languages, and to use the facts of the one to elucidate, as far as possible, the facts of the other. It is only by the study of what has been that we are able to understand what is. I have now and then called attention to those general phenomena which all languages exhibit in common, and have thus, in a slight measure, invaded the domain of the comparative philologist. It has also been my special object to show the relation of dialects to the language of literature, so that I would fain hope this volume may contribute somewhat to dissipate the erroneous notions so widely prevalent on this subject. The importance and persistence of the dialects of the German make it particularly well fitted for exhibiting the relation of the two modes of speech to each other. My original plan was to prepare a translation of Behaghel sG eschichte der deutchen Sprache.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the aged text.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1440040796
• ISBN 13: 9781440040795
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320