Middle High German metric
As Middle High German metric of which is on medieval literature reconstructed metric called, d. H. the structural principles of verse and meter in Middle High German poetry in early Middle High German and High Medieval texts.
Reimpaar verse
A basic quantity of the metric of Middle High German literature is the meter of the widespread rhyming pairs, in which the vast majority of medieval German vernacular narrative literature is written, e.g. B. Wolframs Parzival , Gottfried's Tristan , the Arthurian novels Hartmann's Erec and Iwein , but also his legendary stories Gregorius and Der arme Heinrich .
The approach presented here essentially follows the timing metrics developed by Andreas Heusler for the investigation of Old High German and Middle High German poetry .
This is based on the assumption that the Middle High German rhyming pair strives for four uplifts and alternating meter , i.e. the regular alternation of uplift and lowering. A verse consists of four measures and, if necessary, a monosyllabic or polysyllabic prelude. The accentuations must be placed in such a way that they do not contradict the natural accentuation of the words, i.e. there are no tone inflections .
All syllables that end in a short vowel are metrically short (a quarter or eighth note is possible here), for example: life, bird, all other syllables (ending in long vowel, diphthong , consonant ) are metrically long (a half or a quarter note is possible here): slâ-fen, love, die. In two-syllable words with intervowel -ch- (e.g. laugh, sachen), the first syllable is not considered short and open, but rather closed and therefore long, because / ch / in Mhd stands for the double consonance / hh /.
Metric signs
In order to be able to represent the metric analysis, a basic inventory of metric characters is required.
| × | Mora (unit) (corresponds to a quarter note in music) |
| ── | Double Mora (corresponds to half a note in music) |
| ◡ | half mora (corresponds to an eighth note in music) |
| ^ | Quarter break |
| ́ | Main elevation |
| ̀ | Sideline |
| | | Barline |
| ‖ | Send |
The verse
A verse is divided into three parts: prelude, inner verse and cadence.
Prelude
All syllables before the first accentuation of a verse are called the prelude, i.e. it comes before the first bar line and can be one or more syllabic. A verse can, but does not have to, begin with a prelude.
Inside
The interior of the verse begins with the first elevation and is subdivided into bars. Each measure begins with accentuation, whereby the syllables in a measure must never exceed the value of half a note. A bar line is set before the first accentuation , the closure is always made by two consecutive longitudinal bars || marked. There are three types of bar fill. With the two-syllable measure filling, the measure is filled by an increase and a decrease. If there is a monosyllabic measure filling, one speaks of a weighted uplift. However, this is only possible with long syllables and often occurs with meaningful words in order to emphasize them. In the case of a polysyllabic word, the following syllable, if it still belongs to this word, is given a secondary accentuation after a weighted accentuation. If the following syllable no longer belongs to the same word, it is given a main accentuation. Then one speaks of an uplift rebound . Another possibility is that of the three-syllable measure filling, which in turn has two subgroups. If the first stressed syllable is short, the accentuation is split | ◡ ◡ × | , however, if the first stressed syllable is long, a subsidence split | occurs x́ ◡ ◡ | . However, before splitting an uplift or downgrade, you should check whether a syllable reduction can be achieved with the help of apheresis or elision.
cadence
The area after the last main uplift, the so-called closure, is called cadence . In pair rhymes, the cadences must be the same. A cadence is said to be “full” if it only extends over the last bar. A cadence that spans the last two bars is called "sounding". In the case of the blunt cadence, the last bar of the schema is not linguistically realized (= completely paused). A cadence is said to be “male” when it is paused. If it is not paused, it is called a “female” cadence. For the metric analysis of the literature of the period of heyday i. d. R. six cadences. When analyzing pairs of rhymes, it makes perfect sense to begin by defining the cadences, as it is then possible to see how many accentuations are still to be assigned to the remaining verse.
Monosyllabic masculine full cadence The quantity of the last accentuation does not matter.
A knight so gelêret what
× | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ ^ ‖
because he read the books
| × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ ^ ‖
Two-syllable male full cadence condition: The last stressed syllable (penultimate syllable of the verse = Paenultima) must be short and open.
And release yourself dâ mite
| × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | ◡ ◡ ^ ‖
Swer vür of others owe bite
× | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | ◡ ◡ ^ ‖
Two-syllable female full cadence condition: The last stressed syllable must be long.
I praise got the sîner güete,
× | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × ‖
because he let me lose my senses.
× | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × ‖
Two-syllable-sounding cadence Condition: The syllable that has the last main tone must be long. As a rule, the two-syllable-sounding cadence is applied to two-syllable words with the main tone on the first syllable, e.g. B. "minne".
Dienstman what he zẹ Ouwe
| × ́ × | × ́ × | ── ́ | × ̀ ^ ‖:
he nam im manige schouwe
× | × ́ × | ◡ ◡ × | ── ́ × | × ̀ ^ ‖
Three-syllable-sounding cadence
diu beautiful young diu laughing.
× | × ́ × | ◡ ◡ × | × ́ × | × ̀ ^ ‖
Sus ritens ir mære machende
× | ◡ ◡ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ̀ ^ ‖
Blunt cadence
In this cadence not only a part of the measure pauses, but also a whole further measure. The blunt cadence is based on the metrical theory that four bars per verse were strived for. For example, in sign language, a blunt cadence is:
- … | × ́ ^ | ^^
Elision and apheresis
If the alternation were interrupted by too large a number of syllables, the mhd. Poets often deleted syllables by amalgamating them or by shortening them. There are also measures that can be chosen by the reader:
With an elision the reader can delete an unstressed / -e / in the final part, provided that the following word begins with a vowel. An elision is marked by underpinning. Example: begundẹ he; dâhtẹ he. Furthermore, an initial vowel can be deleted, provided that the preceding word ends with a long vowel. In this case one speaks of an apheresis . Example: nû ẹnist; dô ịch
Joint
The Fugue deals with the connection of the verses beyond the line of verse. In the case of a synaptic joint, one verse passes seamlessly into the following verse without a noticeable incision, so the regular alternation of upward and downward movement is not interrupted. In the following example, the increase at the end of the first verse is followed by a decrease at the beginning of the second verse.
- Dienstman what he zẹ Ouwe
- | × ́ × | × ́ × | ── ́ | × ́ ^ ‖
- he was named in manige schouwe
- × | × × | ◡ ◡ × | ── ́ | × ́ ^ ‖
Unfugged verse is called asynaphy , since either two uplifts or two downsides meet at the verse boundary . This interrupts the regular alternation of raising and lowering. In this example for asynaphy, two elevations collide at the verse transition.
- A knight so gelêret what
- × | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ ^ ‖
- since he was reading the books
- | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ × | × ́ ^ ‖
See also
literature
- Siegfried Beyschlag : The main features of the metrics of the Middle High German heyday . Carl, Nuremberg 1950.
- Herbert Bögl: Outline of the Middle High German metric with an exercise part. Olms, Hildesheim & Zurich 2006.
- Thordis Hennings: Introduction to Middle High German . 2. through and verb. Edition. de Gruyter, Berlin [a. a.] 2003, pp. 179-189.
- Andreas Heusler : German history of verse including the Old English and Old Norse stick rhymes, Grundriss der Germanischen Philologie 8 / 1-3, 2nd, unchanged edition, Berlin 1956.
- Otto Paul, Ingeborg Glier : German metrics. 9th edition. Hueber, Munich 1974.
- Gesine Taubert: Middle High German short grammar with verse theory . Exam preparation - legal clerkship - lessons. With the participation of Elisabeth Miltschnitzky. Erding 1995.
- Helmut Tervooren : Minimal metrics for working with Middle High German texts . Göppingen theses on German studies 285, 4. Supplementary and verb. Edition. Kümmerle Verlag, Göppingen 1997.
- Richard von Muth : Middle High German Metric . Vienna 1882, digitized .
- Hilkert Weddige: Introduction to German Medieval Studies . 6th edition. Beck, Munich 2006, ISBN 3-406-36749-6 , pp. 117-154 (rhetoric and metrics), v. a. P. 143 ff.
Web links
- Middle High German Metrik Online , project of the University of Münster
- Paul Sappler: Metrics (verse theory) of Middle High German , Tübingen.
Individual evidence
- ^ Hartmann von Aue: The poor Heinrich . v. 1 f.
- ^ Hartmann von Aue: The poor Heinrich . v. 27 f.
- ↑ Friedrich von Hausen : I praise got der sîner güete . In: Karl Lachmann , Moriz Haupt : Des Minnesangs Frühling , 2nd ed. Hirzel, Leipzig 1875, No. VIII, p. 50, v. 19 f., Digitized version .
- ^ Hartmann von Aue: The poor Heinrich . v. 5 f.
- ^ Gottfried von Straßburg : Tristan , v. 3141 f.
- ^ Hartmann von Aue: The poor Heinrich v. 5-6 .
- ^ Hartmann von Aue: The poor Heinrich v. 1-2.