ABSTRACT
Old and Middle Continental West Germanic comprises four language areas: Dutch (Old Dutch and Middle Dutch), High German (Old High German and Middle High German), Low German (Old Saxon and Middle Low German) and Frisian (Old Frisian). Our focus will be on the earlier stages of Dutch and German. The description of Dutch will mainly concentrate on Middle Dutch, since little material is left from the Old Dutch period. Middle Dutch embraces the period of time which extends from the first Middle Dutch records about 1170 to 1500, after which Modern Dutch begins. In the German part of the survey both the High German language developments and the Low German data are discussed. Within the limits of this chapter choices have to be made: emphasis will be laid on the earliest stages, Old High German and Old Saxon, while both Middle High and Middle Low German will be dealt with in far less detail. Old High German and Old Saxon extend from the oldest texts of the eighth century to about 1100; Middle High German and Middle Low German are the common terms for the following period which is considered as ending either around 1400 or about 1500.
