By 1700, one-fifth of Berlin was French-speaking, and they remained French-speaking until siding with the rest of Germany against Napoleon.

What challenges of reading an older document, such as a 15th century manuscript, and what can its language tell us? Who, when, where & more!

Unlocking the umlaut. History of the two dots.

Unlock Your History launched in 2017! Check out some favorite posts about language history & translating old German, Danish, Swedish.

You’re tracing your family back, and the spellings sometimes just go crazy.

At various times, there were dozens of imperial cities, from towns of a few thousand people to some of the largest cities.

The tribes that coalesced into Germans spoke 'the people’s/ popular language’ as opposed to Latin

1843 letter in old German handwriting from my 3x great grandfather, to his son telling him to hurry from the army before his mother dies.

Some old cemeteries have gravestones written in German. Here are some tips to help translate some key words.

People's surnames often provide clues into their way back family history. Learn what Von and Van mean for the Dutch and Germans.