@ Koen yes, that maybe is the Problem... 
I need to correct myself, so I’ll do that here in this reply – I also gave the AI (Claude) the following prompt:
Prompt:
"Was this already the case in the Middle Ages, too?" — i.e., did medieval German already use word order to signal emphasis and contrast in the same way modern German does?
Answer:
Yes, essentially — but with an interesting twist.
Middle High German (approx. 1050–1350)
Medieval German actually had even more freedom in word order than modern German, because the case system was still largely intact. Just as Latin uses endings on words to show who is doing what, Middle High German had rich inflectional endings (-en, -em, -es etc.) that made the grammatical role of each word unambiguous — regardless of where it appeared in the sentence.
This meant word order was almost purely a rhetorical tool — used for emphasis, rhythm, and focus, not to convey basic grammatical meaning.
The Verb-Second rule
Even then, German already followed what linguists call the verb-second (V2) principle — the rule that the finite verb always occupies the second position in a main clause. This is still a defining feature of modern German, and it was firmly in place throughout the medieval period.
The tendency to place the most important or emphatic element at the end of a sentence is likewise very old — it's a deep-rooted feature of the Germanic language family going back well before the medieval period.
What changed over time
As German evolved into its modern form, the case endings gradually eroded. With fewer endings to rely on, word order had to take over some of the grammatical heavy lifting — which paradoxically made it less free in some respects. But the principle of end-focus for emphasis survived intact.
In short: A medieval German minnesinger — a courtly love poet — would have instinctively understood the contrast being made in "Nimm schnell mich". He might even have exploited it more boldly than a modern speaker would.
I need to correct myself, so I’ll do that here in this reply – I also gave the AI (Claude) the following prompt:Prompt:
"Was this already the case in the Middle Ages, too?" — i.e., did medieval German already use word order to signal emphasis and contrast in the same way modern German does?
Answer:
Yes, essentially — but with an interesting twist.
Middle High German (approx. 1050–1350)
Medieval German actually had even more freedom in word order than modern German, because the case system was still largely intact. Just as Latin uses endings on words to show who is doing what, Middle High German had rich inflectional endings (-en, -em, -es etc.) that made the grammatical role of each word unambiguous — regardless of where it appeared in the sentence.
This meant word order was almost purely a rhetorical tool — used for emphasis, rhythm, and focus, not to convey basic grammatical meaning.
The Verb-Second rule
Even then, German already followed what linguists call the verb-second (V2) principle — the rule that the finite verb always occupies the second position in a main clause. This is still a defining feature of modern German, and it was firmly in place throughout the medieval period.
The tendency to place the most important or emphatic element at the end of a sentence is likewise very old — it's a deep-rooted feature of the Germanic language family going back well before the medieval period.
What changed over time
As German evolved into its modern form, the case endings gradually eroded. With fewer endings to rely on, word order had to take over some of the grammatical heavy lifting — which paradoxically made it less free in some respects. But the principle of end-focus for emphasis survived intact.
In short: A medieval German minnesinger — a courtly love poet — would have instinctively understood the contrast being made in "Nimm schnell mich". He might even have exploited it more boldly than a modern speaker would.
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