Old German Dictionary?
Thread poster: Barbara L Pavlik
Barbara L Pavlik
Barbara L Pavlik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:59
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Aug 2, 2021

Hello! Does anyone know of an online dictionary of Old German? Much to my simultaneous delight and dismay, I have discovered several sentences in old German buried in a text I'm translating, and I'm not having much luck finding helpful resources. I'm not even sure if it's Althochdeutsch or some other vernacular, because it's a series of quotes from old lumberjacks!

 
Adieu
Adieu  Identity Verified
Ukrainian to English
+ ...
How incomprehensible is it? Aug 2, 2021

Does it read like Chaucer to the modern English speaker? Or worse?

 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 16:59
English to German
In memoriam
Maybe this one helps Aug 2, 2021

http://www.koeblergerhard.de/ahdwbhin.html

 
Kevin Fulton
Kevin Fulton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:59
German to English
Possibly dialect? Aug 2, 2021

You might try posting a phrase in the German section. You might be barking up the wrong tree by trying to track down the words/phrases in OHG/MHG.

 
Barbara L Pavlik
Barbara L Pavlik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:59
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Schwarzwald Aug 2, 2021

I've since found out that this is not Old German but a heavy Schwarzwald dialect from deep in the woods. I've got some help on a FB forum, but it's rough going. Just three or four sentences, and the meaning is "almost" clear on most of them, but I@m still far from confident.

 
Steffen Kern
Steffen Kern
Local time: 16:59
English to German
Grimm Aug 3, 2021

I recommend checking the German Dictionary by the Brothers Grimm (yes, the ones from the fairy tales). They put together a quite extensive dictionary that includes many obsolete and dialect words from the olden times.

Digital version here: https://woerterbuchnetz.de/?sigle=DWB


 
Barbara L Pavlik
Barbara L Pavlik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 10:59
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks Aug 3, 2021

Thanks to everyone who weighed in here. I think I've got it sorted now. Found some people from the region. I'm grateful for all the resources though, as I'm sure they will come in handy in the future!

 


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Old German Dictionary?







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