Editing German language (section)

===Origins===
The history of the language begins with the [[High German consonant shift]] during the [[migration period]], separating [[Old High German]] dialects from  [[Old Saxon]]. The earliest testimonies of Old High German are from scattered [[Elder Futhark]] inscriptions, especially in [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]], from the 6th century AD; the earliest glosses (''[[Abrogans]]'') date to the 8th; and the oldest coherent texts (the ''[[Hildebrandslied]]'', the ''[[Muspilli]]'' and the [[Merseburg Incantations]]) to the 9th century. [[Old Saxon]] at this time belongs to the [[Ingvaeonic|North Sea Germanic]] cultural sphere, and [[Low German|Low Saxon]] should fall under German rather than [[Anglo-Frisian]] influence during the [[Holy Roman Empire]].

As Germany was divided into many different [[States of Germany|states]], the only force working for a unification or [[standard language|standardization]] of German during a period of several hundred years was the general preference of writers trying to write in a way that could be understood in the largest possible area.