An Introduction to Middle High German

An Introduction to Middle High German is a dedicated student edition of The Oxford Guide to Middle High German (Jones & Jones; OUP, 2019) designed for taught courses and self-study. It offers a detailed account of the language and literature of German in the period 1050-1350, including an introductory-level grammar and a wide selection of texts with extensive explanatory material.

Following an initial chapter that defines Middle High German linguistically, geographically, and chronologically, the grammar and lexis chapters offer a self-contained introduction to the language. The user-friendly and accessible grammatical descriptions and explanations will allow entry-level students to gain sufficient knowledge of the language to read and understand a range of Middle High German texts. Chapter 4 comprises thirty textual passages, each placed in context and with extensive explanatory footnotes to facilitate their use in teaching and class discussion. The volume also offers two essential glossaries, the first covering linguistic terms, and the second offering definitions of the Middle High German vocabulary that appears throughout the book.

Howard Jones, Fellow and Lecturer in Linguistics, Keble College, University of Oxford,Martin H. Jones, Senior Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London

Howard Jones is a Fellow and Lecturer in Linguistics at Keble College, Oxford, where he has taught general linguistics, historical linguistics, and the history of German for 15 years. Before that he taught at King's College London. His research focuses on the semantics of verbs in the Germanic languages (notably the categories of aspect, mood, and voice) and on the language of Martin Luther.


Martin H. Jones is a Senior Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of German at King's College London, where he taught medieval German language and literature from 1968 until his retirement as Senior Lecturer in 2009. He was Head of the Department of German from 2000-2004. His publications range widely over the literature of the Middle High German period, with particular emphasis on the works of Hartmann von Aue and Wolfram von Eschenbach and on the themes of chivalry and warfare.