[tex-eplain] German.sty does not work in (e)plain.tex

[michael.weller at t-online.de]

Hi list,

I used to be a researcher and have a bunch of old documents lying around which I now want to recompile or add on.
However, I cannot get plain tex to use german.sty. This is with Opensuse 11.0 which I believe to use texlive 2007
 
A file x.tex starting as:

\magnification 1200
\input german.sty
...

Bombs out in x.log with:
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592-1.40.3 (Web2C 7.5.6) (format=etex 2010.2.6)  6 FEB 2010 13:41
entering extended mode
**x.tex
(./x.tex (/usr/share/texmf/tex/generic/german/german.sty v2.5e 1998-07-08
\grmnU at D=\dimen16
german -- \language number for USenglish undefined, default 255 used.
german -- \language number for UKenglish undefined, default 255 used.

german -- \language number for German undefined, default 255 used,
german -- Please read "gerdoc.tex" how to install hyphenation patterns.
german -- \language number for Austrian undefined, default 255 used.
german -- \language number for French undefined, default 255 used.
)
...

I have already managed to add 
\addlanguage {German}{xu-dehypht.tex}{}{2}{3}
\addlanguage {ngerman}{xu-dehyphn.tex}{}{2}{3}

to /etc/texmf/tex/plain/config/language.def

and rebuild the format:
fmtutil-sys --byfmt etex
fmtutil: running `pdftex -ini   -jobname=etex -progname=etex -translate-file=cp227.tcx *etex.ini' ...
This is pdfTeX, Version 3.141592-1.40.3 (Web2C 7.5.6) (INITEX)
 (/usr/lib/texmf/web2c/cp227.tcx)
entering extended mode
(/usr/share/texmf/tex/plain/config/etex.ini
(/usr/share/texmf/tex/plain/etex/etex.src
(/usr/share/texmf/tex/plain/base/plain.tex Preloading the plain format: codes,
registers, parameters, fonts, more fonts, macros, math definitions,
output routines, hyphenation (/usr/lib/texmf/tex/generic/hyphen/hyphen.tex
[skipping from \patterns to end-of-file...]))
(/usr/share/texmf/tex/plain/etex/etexdefs.lib Skipping module "grouptypes";
Loading module "interactionmodes"; Skipping module "nodetypes";
Skipping module "iftypes";) (/etc/texmf/tex/plain/config/language.def
(/usr/lib/texmf/tex/generic/hyphen/hyphen.tex)
(/usr/share/texmf/tex/generic/xu-hyphen/xu-dehypht.tex
(/usr/lib/texmf/tex/generic/hyphen/dehypht.tex
German Traditional Hyphenation Patterns `dehypht' Version 3.2a <1999/03/03>
(Formerly known under the name `ghyph31' and `ghyphen'.)))
(/usr/share/texmf/tex/generic/xu-hyphen/xu-dehyphn.tex
(/usr/lib/texmf/tex/generic/hyphen/dehyphn.tex
New German Hyphenation Patterns `dehyphn' Rev.31 <2001-05-07> (WaS))))
Augmenting the Plain TeX definitions: \tracingall;
Adding new e-TeX definitions: \eTeX, \loggingall, \tracingnone,
register allocation; extended register allocation;
Recycling: \addlanguage, \@nswer (not defined), \@sk, \b at dresponsetrue,
\b at dresponsefalse, \ch at ckforyn, \mayber at cycle, \et at xabort, \et at xbuf,
\et at xfmtsrc, \et at xfilehdr, \et at xinf, \et at xpatterns, \l at ngdefnfile, \n at xt,
\p at rse (not defined), \pr at mpt (not defined), \pr at mptloop (not defined),
\forcer at cycle, \usef at llback, \usef at llbacktrue, \usef at llbackfalse,
Retaining: \et at xerr, \et at xinput, \et at xlibhdr, \et at xmsg, \et at xtoks, \et at xwarn,
\et at xl@@d, \et at xl@ad, \et at xload, \et at xlang, \et at xhash, \eTeX, \etexhdrchk,
\etexstatus, \module, \uselanguage, \r at tain, \r at cycle,) )
Beginning to dump on file etex.fmt
 (format=etex 2010.2.6)
2857 strings of total length 41852
7968 memory locations dumped; current usage is 197&7304
1254 multiletter control sequences
\font\nullfont=nullfont
\font\tenrm=cmr10
\font\preloaded=cmr9
\font\preloaded=cmr8
\font\sevenrm=cmr7
\font\preloaded=cmr6
\font\fiverm=cmr5
\font\teni=cmmi10
\font\preloaded=cmmi9
\font\preloaded=cmmi8
\font\seveni=cmmi7
\font\preloaded=cmmi6
\font\fivei=cmmi5
\font\tensy=cmsy10
\font\preloaded=cmsy9
\font\preloaded=cmsy8
\font\sevensy=cmsy7
\font\preloaded=cmsy6
\font\fivesy=cmsy5
\font\tenex=cmex10
\font\preloaded=cmss10
\font\preloaded=cmssq8
\font\preloaded=cmssi10
\font\preloaded=cmssqi8
\font\tenbf=cmbx10
\font\preloaded=cmbx9
\font\preloaded=cmbx8
\font\sevenbf=cmbx7
\font\preloaded=cmbx6
\font\fivebf=cmbx5
\font\tentt=cmtt10
\font\preloaded=cmtt9
\font\preloaded=cmtt8
\font\preloaded=cmsltt10
\font\tensl=cmsl10
\font\preloaded=cmsl9
\font\preloaded=cmsl8
\font\tenit=cmti10
\font\preloaded=cmti9
\font\preloaded=cmti8
\font\preloaded=cmti7
\font\preloaded=cmu10
\font\preloaded=cmmib10
\font\preloaded=cmbsy10
\font\preloaded=cmcsc10
\font\preloaded=cmssbx10
\font\preloaded=cmdunh10
\font\preloaded=cmr7 at 14.51799pt
\font\preloaded=cmtt10 at 14.4pt
\font\preloaded=cmssbx10 at 14.4pt
\font\preloaded=manfnt
14787 words of font info for 50 preloaded fonts
14 hyphenation exceptions
Hyphenation trie of length 21572 has 623 ops out of 35111
  235 for language 2
  207 for language 1
  181 for language 0
No pages of output.
Transcript written on etex.log.
fmtutil: /var/lib/texmf/web2c/pdftex/etex.fmt installed.


I used to be rather familiar with TeX document writing, but I'm completely dumbfonded with complex and oddly interwoven internal files in the modern TeX installations.

Please help,
Michael.