Middle High German Poetic Texts (on the Material of the Handwritten Tradition of Selected Songs by Walter von der Vogelweide)

There is an ancient handwritten tradition in Germany, which is still widely studied. Over the course of many decades, various studies on Middle High German texts and their linguistic characteristics have been conducted. The aim of the proposed research is to analyze different types of linguistic variations of the poetic texts of the German Middle Ages on the basis of selected song lists by Walter von der Vogelweide. This research paper describes the phonological, lexical, semantic and syntactic levels of the linguistic system of texts and their differences in literary monuments. Variations in the graphic representation of songs are also described. The comparative approach will identify the main paradigms and significant differences. Manuscripts will be studied from a linguistic point of view with use of literature in the field of Middle High German. Aspects of the manuscript tradition that directly influence variations in the texts will also be studied. Keywords: Middle Upper German, manuscript, language variations, language levels, Walter von der Vogelweide.