delit1-10, Exercise 2: Six questions on "Luther created modern German"

Model answer (check the details):

1. Who says it? Popular histories, school tradition, and some nineteenth-century writers who wanted a national story.
2. Evidence? Luther's New Testament (1522) and Bible (1534) were printed very widely, and he explained his translating choices in the Sendbrief vom Dolmetschen (1530). But a written standard was already forming in chanceries and print shops, and Luther used existing usage, mainly from the Saxon chancery area.
3. When written? Much of the claim dates from the nineteenth century.
4. Which translation? Not central, but check what "modern German" means in each version of the claim.
5. Who gains? A Protestant and a national narrative that wanted a single founding figure.
6. What would change my mind? Linguistic studies showing the standard in use before Luther or developing largely independently of him.

Verdict: "Luther's Bible was a major influence on the spread and prestige of written German" is supported. "Created" is too strong.