In a series of individual essays, this volume presents the important contributors and major trends in the field of German linguistics and literary studies at the University of Leipzig from the beginning of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. The volume, which addresses the broader context of the discipline s evolution during this period, is intended as a contribution to the history of German studies in Leipzig and, given the importance of the individual scholars discussed, to the history of German studies as a whole."

The volume presents a collection of papers on research into East Middle German written languages in the Late Middle Ages. The topics cover aspects of historical East Middle German from the beginning of records until about 1500 from the perspectives of linguistic geography, the sociology of language, philology, textual history and regional history.