German Biography of a language

This is not a conventional history of the German language, though it does include a number of the features one finds in traditional works. Rather, Sanders (Miami Univ., Ohio) emphasizes the spoken language and highlights six "events" she considers defining moments in the development of the German language, devoting a chapter to each. Of these six events, the first (discussed in "Germanic Beginnings") and third ("A Fork in the Road: High German, Low German") are more linguistic in nature. The remaining four (which have to do with the Romans, Bible German and standardization, the creation of the German state, and the "postwar comeback") are historical sociopolitical turning points. This unique approach provides much interesting reading and a number of insights. That said, the volume is marred by frequent factual errors, lack of consistency in the use of names, sometimes-questionable statements, and glaring omissions that make one wonder what happened to editing and proofreading. To cite a few: the Septuagint is not the Greek New Testament, the Nibelungenlied is not Old High German epic, Luther's patron is referred to as both the Elector Friedrich and Frederick. Despite the book's merits, these errors and others compromise the book's value. Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. All readers. J. K. Fugate Kalamazoo College