Transylvanian Saxon and its Roots: Revisiting the Moselle Franconian Hypothesis

Transylvanian Saxon is a German dialect spoken in Transylvania, Romania. Scholars agree on the Middle Franconian origin, but there is still debate about the precise location within this area. For this study the dialect of Sächsisch-Regen is examined, as it has been described in considerable detail by Elke Weber (2010). The area of origin of the Transylvanian Saxons was likely located between the dorp-Dorf and the das-dat isoglosses, because the language uses the words Dorf ‘village’ and dat ‘that’. Based on this distribution, Ripuarian can be excluded as the primary source of Transylvanian Saxon; however, it is included in the comparative analysis for the sake of completeness. Nine characteristic features of Transylvanian Saxon were identified and compared with Ripuarian, Moselle Franconian, and Luxembourgish. The four most salient features are the so-called Eifler Rule, Mouillierung (a palatalization process producing a secondary yod-sound), syncretism of infinitive with three...Show moreTransylvanian Saxon is a German dialect spoken in Transylvania, Romania. Scholars agree on the Middle Franconian origin, but there is still debate about the precise location within this area. For this study the dialect of Sächsisch-Regen is examined, as it has been described in considerable detail by Elke Weber (2010). The area of origin of the Transylvanian Saxons was likely located between the dorp-Dorf and the das-dat isoglosses, because the language uses the words Dorf ‘village’ and dat ‘that’. Based on this distribution, Ripuarian can be excluded as the primary source of Transylvanian Saxon; however, it is included in the comparative analysis for the sake of completeness. Nine characteristic features of Transylvanian Saxon were identified and compared with Ripuarian, Moselle Franconian, and Luxembourgish. The four most salient features are the so-called Eifler Rule, Mouillierung (a palatalization process producing a secondary yod-sound), syncretism of infinitive with three present-tense forms, and the existence of monosyllabic verbs (corresponding to disyllabic forms in Modern German). The outcomes vary considerably: some features are still shared across all varieties; while others are not, even though historical connections remain possible. The cautious conclusion emerging from this analysis is that the origin of Transylvian Saxon lies within the Moselle-Luxembourgish area. Further research is needed to substantiate this hypothesis and to refine the linguistic reconstruction.Show less

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Transylvanian Saxon and its Roots: Revisiting the Moselle Franconian Hypothesis