Editing German language (section)

===Low German===
[[Low German]]

[[Middle Low German]] was the [[lingua franca]] of the [[Hanseatic League]]. It was the predominant language in Northern Germany. This changed in the 16th century, when in 1534 the [[Luther Bible]] by Martin Luther was printed. This translation is considered to be an important step towards the evolution of the [[Early New High German]]. It aimed to be understandable to a broad audience and was based mainly on [[Central German|Central]] and [[Upper German]] varieties. The Early New High German language gained more prestige than [[Low Saxon German|Low Saxon]] and became the language of science and literature. Other factors were that around the same time, the Hanseatic league lost its importance as new trade routes to [[Asia]] and the [[Americas]] were established, and that the most powerful German states of that period were located in Middle and Southern Germany.

The 18th and 19th centuries were marked by mass [[education]] of [[Standard German]] in schools. Slowly, Low Saxon was pushed back and back until it was nothing but a language spoken by the uneducated and at home. Today Low Saxon can be divided in two groups: Low Saxon varieties with a reasonable standard German influx and varieties of Standard German with a Low Saxon influence known as [[Missingsch]]. Sometimes, Low Saxon and [[Low Franconian]] varieties are grouped together because both are unaffected by the High German consonant shift. However, the part of the population capable of speaking and responding to it, or of understanding it has decreased continuously since [[World War II]].