[Lexicog] The influence of Shakespeare on the English language and of Luther on German

[Fritz Goerling]

Margaret,

 

Luther’s influence in enriching the German language should not be
overestimated but not underestimated either.

As you know German, here are a just a few examples from Luther’s coinages of
new words and reinterpetations of words:

 

Wortschöpfungen Luthers: Gnadenbild, -lehre, Gottesbild, - liebe,
Glaubenskampf, Glaubenssache, Sündenbock, Feuereifer, Linsengericht,
Hochmut, Wohlgefallen, Bubestück, Machtwort, nacheifern, geistreich; Stein
des Anstoßes, ein Dorn im Auge, durch die Finger sehen, Wer anderen eine
Grube ....

Neubedeutungen: Beruf, Buße, fromm, gerecht, entrüstet, anfahren (“heftig
ansprechen)“

As far as reinterpretations of words are concerned, I think Luther’s (and
Shakespeare’s) creativity lies in how he uses words giving them new meanings
in special contexts.

A very interesting book is Friso Melzer’s  

  1952              Unsere Sprache im Lichte der Christus-Offenbarung.
Tübingen: J.C.B. Mohr.  

 

The author shows how the Christian faith has enriched the German language
(mentioning Christian poets and mystics, Luther). 

That can certainly also be said for other languages – and other for other
faiths which have have left their imprint on them. 

 

Fritz Goerling

 

 

 

On 5/20/07, Fred Shapiro <fred.shapiro@ <mailto:fred.shapiro%40yale.edu>
yale.edu> wrote:
> On Sun, 20 May 2007, Fritz Goerling wrote:
>
> > You seem to be quite knowledgeable about Shakespeare, so the following
> > information about the bard's influence on the English language might not
be
> > new to you but to others on the list.
> >

Luther's influence on German has also been overestimated, it seems to
be the opinion today. He may have acted as a sort of channel through
which a particular flavour of German took precedence, and in that way
been more influential than Shakespeare was for English.

Margaret Marks

 

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