Luther Year 2017: Did Luther Invent High German?

In 1517, Martin Luther published the Ninety-Five Theses, and 2017, "The Luther Year," celebrates the 500th anniversary of this beginning of the Reformation. Luther’s German translation of the Bible has remained influential to this day; his hymns are still sung; and many still use his proverbs. But does all this make him the inventor of High German?

To answer this question, Mat Schulze will talk about the German Luther spoke, his innovative approach to translating, and the distribution and reception of the Luther Bible and the many other pamphlets, essays, and speeches he published in German.

About the Speaker

Mat Schulze is a professor of German and the director of the Waterloo Centre for German Studies at the University of Waterloo. He has frequently taught courses on the history of the German language and has always been fascinated by the wordsmith Martin Luther.