Die Kölner niedersorbische Liederhandschrift: Ein Kirchengesangbuch des 18. Jahrhundertsby Reinhold OleschReview by: Gerald StoneThe Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 57, No. 2 (Apr., 1979), p. 269Published by: the Modern Humanities Research Association and University College London, School ofSlavonic and East European StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4207819 .

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REVIEWS 269

presentation of such a reprint. Kasic's grammar is especially significant from a linguistic point of view and a detailed comment on the various forms and interesting alternatives that he puts forward would be a worthwhile contribution to the history of the Croatian language.

Nottingham PETER HERRITY

Olesch, Reinhold (ed.). Die Kolner niedersorbische Liederhandschrzft: Ein Kirchengesangbuch des I8. Jahrhunderts. Mitteldeutsche Forschungen, Band 8i. Bohlau Verlag, Cologne and Vienna, I977. xxix + 708 + Xxiii pp. ?34.50?

THIS is a photographic reproduction of a 708-page manuscript book of Lower Sorbian hymns. In his introduction Professor Olesch refers to the manuscript as 'die Kolner niedersorbische Liederhandschrift', from which we may presumably deduce that it is at present somewhere in Cologne, but he does not tell us exactly where it is to be found, who owns it, or how it made its way from Lusatia to its present home. It is in good condition. The original appears to have contained 744 pages. Nearly all the surviving pages are undamaged and clearly legible, but the title page is lost and, consequently, the title, date, author, etc. are not known. According to Professor Olesch, there are reasons for linking this manuscript with the collections of Lower Sorbian hymns published by Johann Ludwig Will in 1760 and 1786, though it contains fifty hymns not included by Will. It probably dates from the first part of the second half of the eighteenth century.

All the hymns appear to be written in the Lower Sorbian literary language, based on the west Cottbus dialect, and a preliminary perusal reveals considerable linguistic uniformity. Thus we regularly find the distinctly literary forms wimot 'save (imperative)', and wimoznik 'saviour', in preference to the variants with -u-. (The spelling does not distinguish betweeny and i.) In most cases before original initial o- and u- prothetic h- occurs (e.g. si humeral (p. 55) 'you died', husnal (p. 296) 'recognized', hogeni (p. 66) 'fire', hopplewai (p. 279) 'protect (imperative)'); but there are a few instances of w- (e.g. wotworisch (p. 298) 'to open', and parts of the verb wodawal 'to forgive'). It is worth noting that h- occurs consistently in hutloba 'heart', except when preceded by the preposition z (e.g. swutschobi (p. 64), swutschobu (p. 3I9)).

Professor Olesch's introduction includes transcriptions of two of the hymns (translations of Paul Gerhardt's 'Wie soll ich dich empfangen' and Martin Luther's 'Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her'), including versions using the modern orthography. They contain the following errors: p. xix, line 31, Sarowa. (for scarowad); p. xxi, line I2, wukow (twice, for rukow); p. xxi, line I9, pokliwa. (for pok&ywaf); p. xxiii, line 7, ridnu&ke (for ridnu?ke); p. xxiii, line 32, tekuju (for &Ukuju). Oxford GERALD STONE

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