“Say what?”
There’s a lot of press about Snow White these days: the movie, the YouTube videos, the chatter. The tale, or its reinvention, has recently caused quite a stir. But where did this classic tale of attempted murder, revenge and resurrection begin?
With Jacob Grimm.
Snow White, or “Schneewittchen,” was originally written down in German in 1812 . In the early 1800s, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm had begun seeking out folk tales in order to educate the populace on their rich Germanic heritage. Previously hidden away in the old wives’ cottages of the mysterious Black Forest, the tales became familiar through the efforts of these young men. Fairy tales, as they were later called, delighted children and adults alike. Their fame quickly spread beyond Germany and it wasn’t long before an Englishman, Edgar Taylor, translated the stories into English under the title, German Popular Stories. The last printing boasted over 200 fairy tale titles.
However, the brothers Grimm aren’t famous just for the beloved chidren’s stories. Both brothers were educated as linguists and graduated at the top of their class. Their fascination with folklore was part of their love of German culture, history and language.
Latin, Greek, Armenian, Sanskit, the Romance languages, such as French and Italian, as well as the Germanic languages stemmed from Indo-European. Linguists claim Indo-European and Proto-Indo-European began in the area of the steppes of Eastern Europe thousands of years ago. At some point, the people who had lived in this area began migrating in all directions (one is reminded of the Tower of Babel, where God broke up the language of the inhabitants to keep their evil deeds controlled ). Linguists and historians attribute language change to these migrations.
And this is where Jacob Grimm comes into the story. He realized along with Danish linguist, Rasmus Rask, that of all of the languages which had a common Indo- Europan connection, all had similar sounds for common words, except for the Germanic languages. This observation is called Grimm’s Law. As they migrated NW, the Germanic tribes had substituted some consonant sounds for others. Modern English is a Germanic language descended from Old English and thus we have those Grimm’s law changes in our speech.
Aspirated sounds are those which can be extended with breath and this is where major changes came into being. The sounds, p, t, k became aspirated f, th, h. The ancient aspirated sounds b, d, g became p, t, k. Also aspirated b, d, g became unaspirated. Wow! that is very hard to follow, so I have linked this very clear (sort of) video. https://youtu.be/OLEz1XP9du4?si=r3aockomvOn4Y_77
“Grimm’s Law … explains why Germanic languages have aspirated ‘f’ where other Indo-European languages have ‘p.’ Compare English father, German vater (where ‘v’ is pronounced ‘f’), Norwegian far, with Latin pater, French père, Italian padre, Sanskrit pita.”
What was once a theory is now an established linguistic law. This understanding has become a clue for linguists to view patterns in language change, enlightening their comprehensive study of language.
Way to go, Brothers Grimm! A sidenote here – Grimm in German means “severe” similar to English “grim.” The fairy tales have often been criticized for being too “dark.” The huntsman in Snow White is sent to kill the princess and bring back proof of the deed with her heart. He brings a pig’s heart back instead. But the queen thinks she is eating Snow White’s heart at his return. These are grim details indeed. Well, don’t blame the Grimms. After all, they took their stories from the German “folk” or common people of the time. Perhaps the tales are a kind of magic mirror reflecting the Germanic culture of the 19th century.
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