XVI. GENDER-CHANGE' FROM MIDDLE HIGH GERMAN TO LUTHER, AS SEEN IN THE 1545 EDITION OF THE BIBLE.

The subject of the gender of substantives has in recent years occupied the attention of many scholars, and various theories dealing mostly with the origin of gender have been proposed. Benjamin Ide Wheeler in the Journal of Germanic Philology, Vol. II, 4, states plainly the fundamental points of the leading theories. The literature on the subject is also to be found there. A reference to this article will suffice. Victor Michels (Zum Wechsel des Nominalgeschlechts im Deutschen, Strassburg, 1889) discusses the main principles which are at work in bringing about gender-change in German. C. Bojunga in a Leipzig dissertation, in developing the principles which underly the shiftings in the substantive declension, reaches about the same results as Michel's, however in not so full or concise a manner. These treatises3 deal with the changes from the OHG. and MHG. to the NHG. period. Only occasional references are made to Luther's language.

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The subject of Gender in Luther has been treated by Karl Frommann in a treatise which has evidently been overlooked to a great extent. Frommann gives complete lists of the passages containing the stems which show different

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1This article, parts of which were read at the meeting of the Central Division of the Modern Language Association at Nashville, Tenn., is intended as a contribution to the study of Luther's language.

Die Entwicklung der NHG. Substantirflexion u. s. w., Leipzig, 1890.

In the light of these treatises an introduction on my part is superfluous. "Vorschläge zur Revision von Dr. Martin Luthers Bibelübersetzung. Zweites Heft. Sprachlicher Theil, erste Abtheilung, Halle, 1862.

5 Before having this article in hand I made a similar detailed collection. I have checked Frommann's citations and have found them to be exact with but few exceptions.

genders in the 1545 edition of the Bible. Frommann's article is useful only as far as the material is concerned. The stems are treated alphabetically without any class arrangement whatever. Again, he does not deal with the numerous stems which change completely from MHG. to Luther's time, this lying beyond the scope of his article. Carl Franke devotes a paragraph (140) in his well known book1 to the subject of gender-change. From this paragraph, however, one can obtain but a meager idea of this important chapter. Franke's citations are from works of various periods of Luther's literary activity, and even then nearly fifty stems found in Frommann's article are not treated.

These statements suffice to show the need of an article which treats the subject in full, if one desires to see just how much influence Luther exerted on the NHG. written language in this particular chapter. I have used the above mentioned works freely, and to avoid unnecessary repetition references are made in the index to the page or paragraph of each article. One may readily see what has been taken from these sources. I have also used freely the usual grammars and dictionaries, and the various articles which refer to this subject.2

As the title of the article indicates, this investigation is based upon Luther's most complete work, the Bible edition of 1545 (K). It has been shown that within the declension of the substantives Luther worked according to a definite system of linguistic principles, which he followed more closely than one might expect in the transition period from

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1 Grundzüge der Schriftsprache Luthers, Görlitz, 1888.

2 These articles are found quoted in Michel's book.

3 Karl v. Bahder, Idg. F., iv, 353: "Am geklärtesten ist Luthers Sprache in der letzten Bibelausgabe von 1545; auf dies Werk ist auch die spätere Schriftsprache in erster Linie gegründet und jede Untersuchung, die Luthers Sprache in ihrer Bedeutung für die schriftsprachliche Entwicklung betrachtet, wird es zum Ausgangspunkt nehmen müssen.

Substantivflexion bei Martinus Luther (Bibelausgabe von 1545), Cornell Dissertation, 1897.

MHG. to NHG. And as transitions take place from one class to another within the same gender, or as even stems of different genders influence one another so as to bring about class changes, so likewise transitions from one gender to another are evident, due to various general principles and particular associations. Starting from the MHG. written, court, or class language I have observed that about 270 substantives show in "K" some change of gender. All genders are affected masculine stems become feminine and vice versa; neuter stems become masculine and vice versa; neuter stems become feminine and vice versa. We find a general leveling of the numerous fluctuations which prevail in MHG., sometimes singly, but mostly according to well defined categories. The general causes of the leveling will be mentioned under each head and the particular associations under each stem.

MASCULINE STEMS BECOME FEMININE.

A large number of stems which in MHG. are masculine, or at least fluctuate between masculine and feminine, become in NHG. feminine. Here especially group movements are to be observed.

1. Weak masculines become feminine.

The possibility of the change is apparent from an examination of the paradigms:

The masculine stems have not as yet taken on the -n, in the nominative and the -s in the genitive singular, so there are no barriers to be overcome in the declension. The general causes which bring about the ultimate change are:

the large number of dissyllabic feminines ending in -e, with similarity of form, function, and meaning; the confusing of the masculine and feminine article in the Low German dialects; the predominate use of the plural in many of the stems. The habit of assigning die to the stem used in the plural is carried over to the singular. Several subdivisions are easily made:

(a). Plant names.

Blume MHG. bluome mf. is in K f. except in Hohel. 2, 1, where the form ein blumen occurs.

Lilie MHG. lilje fm. is used in K only in the plural.

Narde MHG. narde mf. shows in K different genders according to the meaning: Used as salbe it is f. Joh. 12, 3; used as pflanze it is m., however only in the Song of Solomon, Hohel. 1, 2.1

Palme MHG. palme mf. is in K f. 1 x Richt. 4, 5 in meaning of palmtree. The transition is due in part to die buche, die eiche, die linde, die tanne, etc.

Pfebe MHG. phedeme fm. is used only 4 Mos. 11, 5 in the sense of die melone. The gender is uncertain.

Rose MHG. rôse mf. is in K f. 3 x Hos. 14, 6; m. 1 x Hohel. 2, 1.

Traube MHG. trúbe mf. is in K f. 3 x Jes. 65, 8; m. 2 x Hohel. 1, 14 and 4 Mos. 13, 25.

Zwiebel MHG. zwibolle, etc., m. is used only in one doubtful case, 4 Mos. 11, 5.

The plant names are feminine in K. The transition is complete with but few exceptions, these occurring save traube 1 x m. in the Song of Solomon. The feminine usage is due in part to feminine plant names as, die minze, die raute, die bone, die erbse, die gerste, die linse and die möhre.

(b). Names of small animals.

'It is an interesting fact that the language in the Song of Solomon and in the apocryphal books is very irregular in comparison with the rest of the bible, both in the declension as well as in gender.

Blindschleiche MHG. blintsliche, is in 3 Mos. 11, 30 m. der blindschleich(e). Associations explain the retention of the masculine der igel, der molch, der blindschleich, vnd der maulworff. It is also to be noted that apocope occurs (see p. 460).

Heuschrecke MHG. höuschrecke m. is K f. Pred. 12, 5. The stem is used mostly in the plural. The transition is due to insect names, especially die raupe with which stem it is used in association: 1 Kon. 8, 37 oder hewschrecken, oder raupen- -Joel 1, 4 was die raupen lassen, das fressen die hewschrecken.

Made MHG. made mf. is in K f. 2 x Hiob 25, 6. In Hos. 5, 12 the association with motte exerts influence: ich bin eine motten, vnd-eine made. Compare also die schabe.

Schnecke MHG. snecke is in K f. Ps. 58, 9.

Schlange MHG. slange is often used and is with the exception of Amos 5, 19 f. Compare die natter.

Basiliske MHG. basiliske m. (likewise NHG.) is in K m. Jes. 11, 8; f. Jes. 14, 29. The feminine form is due to association with schlange: Jes. 14, 29 aus der wurtzel der schlangen wird eine basiliske komen- -Jer. 8, 17 schlan

gen vnd basilisken.

This fact is explained

Weihe MHG. wie m. remains m. by associations: 3 Mos. 11, 14 den adeler, den habicht, den fischar, den geyer, den weihe-5 Mos. 14, 12 der adler der habicht, der fisschar, der teucher, der weihe, der geyer mit seiner art.

The names of the small animals are already in K feminine with the exception of weihe which hardly belongs to this group. Even in weihe the gender is explained from associations. In one stem basiliske the feminine is used where NHG. retains the masculine.

(c). Members of the body.

Lippe MHG. lefse mf. is used only in the plural.

Niere MHG. niere mf. likewise.

Wade MHG. wade mf. likewise.