Re: Beating the Dutch
| From: | Wesley Parish <wes.parish@...> |
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| Date: | Sunday, April 28, 2002, 9:14 |
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Maybe I have the answer. ?
On Sun, 28 Apr 2002 10:31, you wrote:
> Possibly a little (or completely) off topic, but I can't help wondering:
> Since German unification was effectively brought about by the nothern state
> of Prussia, which by 1871 had already absorbed most of the other northern
> states, how did it come to pass that the standard language of Germany is
> the southern Hochdeutsch (High German), rather than some variety or other
> of the northern Neddersassisch/-düütsch (Low Saxon/German)?
I think the answer to that question is the Lutheran Church and Luther's
German Bible, which effectively turfed out all other potential German dialect
competitors, from the position of literary language. And the position of
official German language - once it had reached critical mass, even the
Catholics had to use it to some degree.
Religion is a powerful force for both conservatism and change.
Wesley Parish