Multilingualism in the correspondence of the Wittenberg professor Balthasar Meisner

Balthasar Meisner (1587–1626) was for many years professor of theology at the University of Wittenberg. Under his supervision, a number of future Lutheran clergymen from German-speaking areas of the Bohemian lands studied there. His correspondence with them, which was previously highlighted by Theodor Wotschke and later by Heinrich Kunstmann, has not yet been fully researched. Most of it is kept in the Uffenbach and Wolfius collection at the State and University Library in Hamburg. Although Meisner and his students were German-speaking, their correspondence was entirely in Latin. The use of Latin or modern languages, or a combination of both, in correspondence depended on the education and social status of the writer – students and colleagues wrote to Meisner in Latin, sometimes inserting German or Greek words. The use of Greek expressions according to Cicero‘s model is more common among correspondents from the Czech lands. Among imperial humanists, we observe an increase in the importance of German, which is already beginning to be used not only for „oeconomica,“ but also for scholarly correspondence. The writer‘s professional focus may also play a role; it is possible to observe a difference between a professor of theology and an educated lawyer, who conducts a large part of his business in vernacular language. Social status, geographical affiliation, and mother tongue are also important. Imperial nobles write to Meisner in German, unlike nobles from Upper Hungary, for example, who use Latin in their letters. Scholars from the Czech lands, whose mother tongue is Czech, also resort to Latin, even though they obviously had knowledge of German. Another important factor is the relationship to the addressee – close relatives more often use vernacular languages, with simple and direct communication taking precedence over representation. This also applies to letters written by women. Last but not least, the use of language is also determined by the function of the letter – Latin was a prerequisite for a letter of recommendation to a university study, whereas German is the language of official communication between the city administration and the university in Meisner‘s correspondence.