Variations in German

Hello, once more, friends and scholars.  Last week, I went over some common symbols and abbreviations in German records.  These can appear throughout German or Latin records, sometimes without rhyme or reason.  Today, I will be discussing three categories for changes in German: phonetic variations, interchangeable consonants, and regional cognates.  We should not dismiss someone or something in a record, simply because of deviation in writing or sound.

Historical Context and Phonetic Rules

As the student of history may recall, “Germany” did not exist as a unified state until the 19^th century.  In addition, various German-speaking areas went through phases of expanding, shrinking, and merging with other political entities.  Consequently, while these regions share a “common tongue,” they use different forms regarding place names, surnames, and personal names.  On occasion, a citizen of one state would move to another.  Scribes might then record his or her name differently (in contrast to the spelling used in the home area).

In a previous blog, I briefly discussed the German alphabet.  This topic requires me to dig a little deeper, in order to provide a reference frame.  First, here are three basic vowels—by themselves.  The letter ‘A’ sounds like the first vowel found in father.  ‘E’ sounds roughly like an English long ‘A,’ such as obey—but it is a pinch shorter.  One oddity is that ‘E’ produces a noise like the English expression uh when finishing a word or name (similar to the letter ‘A’ in Justina).

The letter ‘I’—by itself—sounds like the short English ‘I,’ as in bit.  When ‘I’ is followed by ‘E,’ a long ‘E’ sound forms.  One example of this distinction is found in my surname and one of its variations: Davies and Davis.  The difference in sound is based on the employment or the omission of the letter ‘E.’  In the latter surname, the soft ‘I’ is used—which produces the same sound in German.  While German vowels are almost always pronounced, this usage of ‘E’ provides a noteworthy exception.  Sometimes ‘IE’ may be swapped with ‘I’ or ‘Ü’—I will explain the latter in a moment.

The German ‘O’ is shorter than the English counterpart and sounds like the ‘O’ in body.  The ‘Ö’ is unique from an English-speaking perspective, almost sounding like the ‘O’ in loser.  The ‘U’ sounds a bit like the double-o in boot.  ‘Ü’ does not have an equivalent sound in English.  Native speakers produce a sound that is somewhere in between the ‘OO’ in look and the ‘I’ in girl.  When Americans re-write German given names and place names, ‘Ö’ and ‘Ü’ are occasionally rendered as ‘OE’ and ‘UE.’  This can cause confusion, because the letters ‘O’ and ‘U’ might be followed by ‘E’—making two distinct vowels—in their original forms.

The letter ‘Y’ is rare, it normally sounds like a soft ‘I.’  At the end of words, it sounds like a long ‘E’ in English (like the ‘Y’ in candy). Vowels can join and produce diphthongs.  These frequently sound like “one vowel,” but they technically target two distinct sounds.  Suppose that the letter ‘A,’ ‘Ä,’ or ‘E’ were followed by ‘I,’ ‘Y,’ or ‘Ÿ’ (Y with an “umlaut”); the result sounds like the long ‘I’ in English.  In this type of diphthong, ‘Ä’ or ‘E’ imitates the role of a German ‘A.’  Two English words that illustrate this concept are Thai and height.

Phonetic Variations

As explained above, there are various ways to produce the same sound.  Using German phonetic rules, the surname “Meyer” may also appear as Maier, Mayer, Maÿer, Mäier, Mäyer, Mäÿer, Meier, or Meÿer.  All of these examples are valid possibilities and it is difficult to ascertain one “correct” or “original” form.  In the sidebar on the right, we see two forms of writing a month, March, in old German: “Maerz” and “März.”

Interchangeable Consonants

As can be seen, German—like many other languages—has evolved over time.  Many consonants trade places with others because of generational or political boundaries.  The letters in the set ‘P,’ ‘T,’ and ‘K’ are typically exchanged with those found in the set ‘B,’ ‘D,’ and ‘G’ or in the set ‘PF/F,’ ‘Z/TZ’, and ‘H/CH.’  Over time, one letter (or grouping of letters) would evolve into another.  However, many phonetic shifts do not occur (‘R’ with ‘K,’ ‘S’ with ‘M,’ or ‘L’ with ‘T’).

Suppose that the newly wed Jeremias moves to the hometown of his bride.  He names his first-born son Jeremias and then takes him to a pastor for christening.  The church record uses the following descriptor: “Jeremias Kerper.”  A researcher today may feel tempted to ignore the latter name, because she expects to find a son surnamed “Gerber.”  Despite modification of the consonants, this entry refers to the right person.  Of course, she should dismiss forms like “Herder” or “Kertzer.”

Regional Cognates

At this point, some readers may reason: “Regional cognates?  Isn’t that where someone just takes a ‘C’ and swaps it with a ‘K’?”   Sometimes, the difference in cognates is that simple.  At other times, one form is completely distinct from others.  While feminine names often end either with “-A” or “-E,” the difference between “Catherine” and “Katarina” involves a lot more contrast than the final vowel.  Many of the respective discrepancies are rooted in the political boundaries.

Some given names have one or two forms (like Sara and Sarah); others have a large list of variations.  Johann and Johannes—both cognates of the English John—have countless forms.  A few examples include Jan, Jahn, Johan, Hannes, and Hans—today, people use Jahn primarily as a surname.  In a Christening record in the sidebar, we see a slight difference between a father’s name and that of his son—Johann and Johan.

Conclusion

Differences in spelling are common throughout old German records.  Such contrasts may seem intimidating at first; with some practice, they will not be so overwhelming.  When evaluating the relevance of a name (be it of a person or a place), make sure to take into consideration possible shifts and regional dialects.  Thank you for the time that you have taken to read this blog.  Best wishes in all of your endeavors.