Editing Middle Low German (section)

{{short description|Developmental stage of Low German}}
{{Use British English |date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates |date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox language
|name          = Middle Low German
|altname       = '''''Sassisch''''', ''Dǖdisch'', ''Nedderlendisch'', ''Ôstersch''
|nativename    = ''sassesche sprâke'' (or unnormalised ''sassche sprake''), ''nedderlendische sprâke'' (or unnormalised ''nederlendesche sprake''; since the 16th century)<ref name="la14">{{cite Q |Q131355367 |publisher=Max Niemeyer |mode=cs1}}</ref>{{rp|p=5}}
|region        = Northern [[Central Europe]], viz. Northern [[Germany]] (roughly the [[North German Plain|Northern lowlands]]), Northeastern [[Netherlands]], Northwestern/North-central (modern) [[Poland]], modern [[Kaliningrad Oblast]], also sporadically in [[Denmark]], [[Sweden]], [[Norway]], [[Latvia]], [[Estonia]] (confined to cities)
|era           = 13th to 16th centuries; evolved into [[Low German|Modern Low German]]; gradually superseded as an official language by [[High German languages|High German]] and (in the far West) [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
|familycolor   = Indo-European
|fam2          = [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]
|fam3          = [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]]
|fam4          = [[North Sea Germanic]]
|ancestor      = [[Old Saxon]]
|dia1          = [[Westphalian language|Westphalian]]
|dia2          = [[Eastphalian dialect|Eastphalian]]
|dia3          = [[Northern Low Saxon|North Low Saxon]], incl. ''[[East Frisian Low Saxon|East Frisian]]—Oldenburgish'', ''Nordalbingian'', ''East Elbian''
|dia4          = [[Brandenburgisch dialect|Brandenburgish]]
|script        = [[Latin script|Latin]] ([[Fraktur]])
|map           = Extent of the Hansa-optimiert.jpg
|mapcaption    = Northern Europe in 1400, showing the extent of the [[Hanseatic League]]
|lingua        = 52-ACB-ca<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linguasphere.info/lcontao/tl_files/pdf/index/LS_index_m-m.pdf |title=m |page=219 |work=The Linguasphere Register |access-date=1 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140827103404/http://www.linguasphere.info/lcontao/tl_files/pdf/index/LS_index_m-m.pdf |archive-date=27 August 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|iso3          = gml
|glotto        = midd1318
|glottorefname = Middle Low German
}}
[[File:Hansesprache no text.jpg|thumb|right|265px|Extent of Middle Low German in red and as literary language (black lines tilted right)]]
'''Middle Low German'''{{efn |{{langx|nds|Middelsassisk}}, {{langx|nds|Middelsassisch|label=none}}, {{langx|nds|Middelnedderdüüsch|label=none}} or {{langx|nds|Middelneaderdüütsk|label=none}},{{cd |date=August 2024}} {{langx|de|Mittelniederdeutsch|italics=yes}}, {{langx|nl|Middelnederduits|italics=yes}}}} is a developmental stage of [[Low German]]. It developed from the [[Old Saxon]] language in the [[Middle Ages]] and has been documented in writing since about 1225–34 ({{lang|de|[[Sachsenspiegel]]}}). During the [[Hanseatic League|Hanseatic]] period (from about 1300 to about 1600), Middle Low German was the leading written language in the north of [[Central Europe]] and served as a [[lingua franca]] in the northern half of Europe. It was used parallel to [[medieval Latin]] also for purposes of [[diplomacy]] and for [[deed]]s.<ref>{{cite book |title=Handbuch zur niederdeutschen Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |last1=Cordes |first1=Gerhard |last2=Möhn |first2=Dieter |date=1983 |language=de |page=119 |publisher=Erich Schmidt Verlag |location=Berlin |isbn=3-503-01645-7 |oclc=9961089 }}</ref>