South Germanic is a term used for a number of proposed groupings of the
Germanic tribes or
dialects. However, it is not widely used and has no agreed definition.
Uses
The following uses of the term "South Germanic" are found:
As a straightforward synonym for
West Germanic with the exception of its exclusion of those of the
British Isles. This usage is particularly found in the study of
Germanic mythology and
culture, where it covers continental German sources in contrast to those from Scandinavia, which are termed
North Germanic.[1] However, this usage is also found occasionally in the work of linguists — for example, Stefan Sonderegger.[2] (The
East Germanic are generally ignored because there are no pre-Christian texts.)
As a term in
Ernst Schwarz's theory of the
Germanic dialects.[3][4] He divides Germanic into a
North Germanic and a South Germanic (or Continental Germanic) group, with the Scandinavian (or Nordic) languages and the extinct
East Germanic (
Gothic and
Crimean Gothic) languages in the former. A feature of his grouping is the intermediate position of two other groups,
Elbe Germanic and
North Sea Germanic (
Anglo-Frisian and
Old Saxon), with the latter viewed "floating" being initially part of North Germanic (in the 2nd century BC), but moving closer to the more southerly dialects in the subsequent five centuries.[5] This view has received some support, although a number of those who share Schwarz's view, such as Lehmann, use instead the terms
Northeast Germanic (for Schwarz's North Germanic) and
Southwest Germanic (for Schwarz's South Germanic).[6]
As a synonym for
High German. This usage seems to be exclusive to Claus Jürgen Hutterer,[7] who groups North Sea Germanic separately from the
Weser-Rhine Germanic and
Elbe Germanic groups which give rise to (among others) the High German
varieties. Although it can be seen as a development of Schwarz's theory, it implies that North Sea Germanic and South Germanic did not form any sort of larger West Germanic grouping. The German term Binnengermanisch (Inland Germanic) is also used informally in a similar sense to distinguish between the coastal West Germanic dialects and the rest, though it does not imply that they are not all part of West Germanic.[8]
Hutterer, Claus Jürgen (1999). Die germanischen Sprachen. Wiesbaden: Albus. pp. 251–360.
ISBN3-928127-57-8.
H.L. Kufner, "The grouping and separation of the Germanic languages" in
F. van Coetsem & H.L. Kufner (eds.), Toward a Grammar of Proto Germanic (Niemeyer, 1972)
H. Kuhn, "Zur Gliedering der germanischen Sprachen", in Zeitschrift für deutsches Altertum 86 (1955), 1-47.
Lehmann, Winfred P. (1966). "The Grouping of the Germanic Languages". In Birnbaum, Henrik; Puhvel, Jaan (eds.). Ancient Indo-European Dialects. Berkeley, Los Angeles: University of California. pp. 13–27.
Marchand, James M. (2016). "Mythology". In Jeep, John M. (ed.). Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia. Abingdon, New York: Routledge. pp. 553–555.
ISBN9781138062658.