Ripuarian Franks - Language

Language

The early Frankish language is defined more by what it was not than by what it must have been. What it actually was is not known; there are no attestations of it. There are plenty of inscriptions along the Rhine from the first few centuries of the Christian Era, until the last known in 252, but they are all in Latin. Some of the names are of Germanic origin. Of some 1400 Latin inscriptions in Lower Germany a little over 100 are from the rural lands of the Frankish Ubii. The fact that these votive inscriptions were made by discharged veterans settling where they were discharged; i.e., in or near their native villages, indicates a strong Frankish element in the Roman army from the beginning of the Franks.The inscriptions are most frequent in the 3rd century. Most are from the major cities of Lower Germany.

The right bank of the Rhine was notably silent during that time inscriptionally. A native Germanic writing system, the Older Futhark, did exist in North Germany, Denmark, south Sweden and south Norway. The inscriptions began with the Meldorf Brooch of the mid-1st century and remained only in that northern precinct until about 200. Subsequently they go on there through the Viking Period but by 250 are known from most of the Germanic range. Anglo-Frisian runes are dated 450-1100; south Germanic, 550-750. For the Franks of 300, no evidence exists.

The historical linguists reconstruct a Proto-Germanic language between Indo-European and the specific Germanic languages. They further reconstruct a number of dialects and other stages between Proto-Germanic and modern languages, most of which are primarily theoretical and uncertain as to date and location. Proto-Germanic divided into East, North and West. The latter further subdivided into North Sea, Elbe and Rhine-Weser. Where the early Franks fall is not certain.

However, where they do not fall as far as stages of linguistic development are concerned is known. Linguists have defined a Second Consonant Shift creating Old High German (OHG) from which modern standard German descends. The shift occurred south of an east-west zone called the Benrath Line. The Rhine crosses it in the vicinity of Düsseldorf. However, that entire section of the Rhine including Cologne is the Rhenish Fan, where forms from both Plattdeutsch ("Low German") and Hochdeutsch ("High German") may be spoken. The High German dialects are dated 500-1200, far later than the early Franks. Their language cannot be High German.

The approximately 125 Older Futhark inscriptions, mainly two words each, from before 550 are insufficient to determine grammar, but some conclusions have been drawn from the phonetics. Features specific to western and northern Germanic do not appear until about 550, such as the change of Proto-Germanic *aê to â and the rhotacism of *z to r in some circumstances; e.g., Hlewagastir instead of *Hlewagastiz. Since the Second Consonant Shift was beginning to occur at this time, Robinson says:

"Thus many take the runic inscriptions from before about 550 as evidence for a surprisingly late breakup of Common Germanic (excluding East Germanic) into North and West Germanic...."

One answer to the problem of the missing common West Germanic is that by 300, five distinct but mutually intelligible dialects of Proto-Germanic existed. The grouping of tribes in Tacitus' Germania into Ingaevones, Istaevones and Herminones seems to support this view. The dialects are entirely linguistic speculation, but no evidence fills the gap.

The Ripuarian Franks, given an impetus toward social unity by the Roman-administered city of Cologne, must have been speakers of Proto-Germanic. The extension of an "Old Frankish" to any time before about 500 is anachronistic. This Frankish unity or the memory of it seems to have lasted well into the period when their range was linguistically divided between High and Low German. The Old High German began on the eastern part of their range where they bordered on the Alamanni. The two confederacies were kept distinct by the Romans as long as the latter maintained a base at Mainz. When it was no longer Roman the sound change spread downstream to Düsseldorf. Coincidentally the Ripuarian Franks lost their sovereignty to the Salians at about this time.