Corpus structure
The corpus is structured by the parameters “space”, “time” and “field of writing”.
Space
The parameter “space” consists of the regions:
- North Low Saxon
- the language of Lübeck
- East Elbian
- Baltic Low German
- Westphalian
- Eastphalian
- Elbe Eastphalian
- South Markish
- Low Rhenish
An overview of these different regions is displayed in the following map:
© Sarah Ihden, 30-08-2023, drawn with regionalsprache.de, based on "Schreibsprachenlandschaften im Spätmittelalter" by Konrad Kunze and Robert Peters with additions by Libuse Spáčilová, drawn by Brigitte Pfeil, online: http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/gaeste/Schreibsprachen/KarteSchreib2.pdf
The project site of Hamburg is dedicated to North Low Saxon, East Elbian, Baltic Low German and South Markish while Münster works on texts originated from Lübeck, Westphalian, Eastphalian, Elbe Eastphalian and Low Rhenish regions.
Time
In addition, the texts are catalogued into eight periods of time. The first one covers – depending on the writing tradition – the whole 13th century. The following centuries are subdivided in periods of 50 years.
| I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII |
| 13th century | 1301-1350 | 1351-1400 | 1401-1450 | 1451-1500 | 1501-1550 | 1551-1600 | 1601-1650 |
From 1200 to 1473 both written manuscripts and inscriptions exist in the Low German language area. After 1473 written manuscripts, inscriptions and prints exist simultaneously, which are dealt with in the corpus.
Field of writing
Moreover the texts of the project “Reference Corpus Middle Low German/ Low Rhenish (1200-1650)” can be assigned to one of the following seven “fields of writing”:
- administration
- law and documents
- transfer of knowledge
- clerical writing (religion)
- literature
- private writing and correspondence
- inscriptions
The structure of the reference corpus results from the combination of the parameters “space” and “time”. The parameter “fields of writing” is taken into account where possible.