To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: German language (Old and middle high) German language German language.
Journal articles on the topic 'German language (Old and middle high) German language German language'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 journal articles for your research on the topic 'German language (Old and middle high) German language German language.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse journal articles on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Peresada, Igor. "THE ORDER OF STUDY OF VOWEL SOUNDS IN INTRODUCTORY AND PHONETIC COURSES IN THE GERMAN LANGUAGE (ON THE MATERIAL OF STATISTICAL AND DIACHRONIC STUDIES)." Modern Tendencies in Pedagogical Education and Science of Ukraine and Israel: the Way to Integration, no. 9 (September 20, 2018): 183–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.24195/2218-8584-2018-9-183-188.
Full textAbstract:
Most ancient vowels in the period of the birth of the German language are revealed. The phonetic structure of a single-root German word in the Old High German and Middle High German periods of the development of the German language is described. The statistical frequency of using vowels in the above periods has been determined. Key words: vowels and consonants, Old High German and Middle High German periods, frequency of use
2
Askedal, John Ole. "Deutsche Teil- und Regrammatikalisierung." Studia Germanica Posnaniensia, no. 38 (June 25, 2018): 31–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/sgp.2017.38.04.
Full textAbstract:
The present paper deals with some putative cases of so-called ‘halted’ or ‘arrested grammaticalization’ in the history of German. The following phenomena are discussed: Old High German perfect auxiliaries; the modals ‘shall’, ‘will’ and the transformative copula werden as sources of future auxiliaries in Old, Middle and New High German; some shortened verb forms in Middle High German; the Old High German etc. pronoun of identity der selbo used as a demonstrative or personal pronoun; the inflection of determiners, quantifiers and adjectives in New High German; Old High German thô, dô and Middle High German ez as syntactic ‘place-holders’ in sentence-initial position; the syntactic status of the German so-called ‘ethical dative’; and the demise of Old High German -lîhho, Middle High German -lîche as an adverb-forming suffix. It is claimed that certain general language-specific, ‘characterological’ patterns influence the way in which the grammaticalization developments in question are halted or, sometimes, given another direction by way of regrammaticalization.
3
Smith, Laura Catharine. "Old Frisian." Diachronica 29, no. 1 (March 16, 2012): 98–115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/dia.29.1.04smi.
Full textAbstract:
For a century, Old Frisian has largely remained in the shadows of its Germanic sister languages. While dictionaries, concordances, and grammars have been readily and widely available for learning and researching other Germanic languages such as Middle High German, Middle Low German and Middle English, whose timelines roughly correspond to that of Old Frisian, or their earlier counterparts, e.g., Old High German, Old Saxon and Old English, few materials have been available to scholars of Old Frisian. Moreover, as Siebunga (Boutkan & Siebunga 2005: vii) notes, “not even all Old Frisian manuscripts are available as text editions”1 making the production of comprehensive core research materials more difficult. Consequently, what materials there have been, e.g., von Richthofen (1840), Heuser (1903), Holthausen (1925), and Sjölin (1969), have typically not taken into consideration the full range of extant Old Frisian texts, or have focused on specific major dialects, e.g. Boutkan (1996), Buma (1954, 1961). This has left a gap in the materials available providing an opportunity for Old Frisian scholars to make substantial contributions to the field by filling these gaps.
4
Jeep, John M. "Stabreimende Wortpaare in Wolframs „Parzival“ im Umfeld vor allem frühmittelhochdeutscher Rhetorik." Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 79, no. 3 (November 28, 2019): 338–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/18756719-12340157.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract This article researches alliterating word-pairs in Wolframs ‘Parzival’. First, all examples from the text are collected and analyzed to elucidate their occurrence in the Old and Middle High German context. It becomes clear which word-pairs have been inherited from Old and (Early) Middle High German, and which were possibly the making of Wolfram himself. In doing so, the inventory of alliterating word-pairs in the early language phases of German is expanded with a few more specimens. We also gain a deeper understanding of their role in the Middle High German courtly novel.
5
Ohui, Oleksandr, Olga Ivasiuk, and Halyna Ivasiuk. "COLOR MENTALITY IN THE MIDDLE AGES: principles of medievalist cognitive-quantitative comparative reconstruction (based on Old High German and Middle High German texts)." Germanic Philology Journal of Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, no. 831-832 (2021): 3–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.31861/gph2021.831-832.3-12.
Full textAbstract:
The article focuses on theoretical concepts and their inter categorical interaction in the process of medieval cognitive-quantitative comparative reconstruction of color mentality in the Middle Ages. The authors point out that the reconstruction of the mentality of this period, which represents part of the culture, should be guided by a holistic method using formalized-quantitative methods, as deep symbolism permeated the lives of speakers of the German Middle Ages at all levels. The article also states that to describe the mentality as an expression of culture, it is advisable to choose important linguistic and cultural categories such as separate modules (eg, color notation) in the language picture of the world. The article notes that both in the texts and in the dictionaries the language picture of the world is represented by words and phrases grouped by semantics into multi-part lexical-phraseological fields. The authors of the article found that the reconstruction covers all linguistic means related to different, as a rule, the main parts of speech, which reflected historically the ancient syntagmatic thinking and its syncretism. Reconstruction as a process and result of hypothetical reproduction or establishment of certain, mostly non-existent characteristics of the medieval mentality is proposed to be carried out on three levels: 1) through the analysis of literary remembrances; 2) through the analysis of certain patterns of the language picture of the world; 3) through etymological and semantic analysis of words. At the same time, the article proposes to consider the holistic paradigm as the basis of the "new philology", which is defined as a combination of linguistics and literary studies, culturology, logic, ethnolinguistics and psychology. In the future, a comprehensive study of Old High German and Middle High German words according to these principles and using formalized quantitative methods will help to determine not only their linguistic and cultural peculiarities, but also to establish objectively the language picture of the world of the Middle Ages on the background of its culture.
6
Jeep, John M. "Stabreimende Wortpaare in den späteren Werken Hartmanns von Aue: Iwein, Gregorius, Der arme Heinrich." Yearbook of Phraseology 9, no. 1 (November 1, 2018): 51–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/phras-2018-0005.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractBuilding upon recent phraseological studies of Old High and Middle High German texts, the alliterating word pairs in the later works of Hartmann von Aue are catalogued and analyzed philologically, thus contributing to an emerging complete listing of the paired rhetorical expressions through the Early Middle High German period, here Hartmann’s major courtly Arthurian romance, Iwein, his religious tale Gregorius, and Der arme Heinrich. Each pair is listed, described in the context in which it appears, and compared with any extant pairs from earlier German works. Previous research on the pair is reviewed. Hence, we trace the evolution of these expressions, in some cases through centuries. On the one hand, Hartmann employs alliterating expressions that date to the Old High German period, while on the other hand apparently creates new, or at least not previously documented ones. As in findings in earlier texts, pairs recorded on multiple occasions are likely to have been used by other authors. Typical for medieval German texts - when compared to similar modern expressions - is the insight that there is a fair amount of variation concerning the sequence of the alliterating elements and/or the inclusion of morpho-syntactic modifiers such as pronouns, possessives, adjectives, or adverbs. When known, later examples of the alliterating word-pairs are cited, albeit for obvious reasons only in an incomplete fashion. Two updates on the emerging Old High and Early Middle High German word-pair catalogue are included. Finally, a complete listing of the alliterating word-pairs in Hartmann’s works is provided. The long-term project continues to chart the emergence of German alliterating word-pairs chronologically, here within the first decade of the thirteenth century.
7
Schuhmann, Roland, and Andreas Nievergelt. "Zur Etymologie von ahd. musina und orgina." Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 76, no. 3 (December 1, 2016): 363–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/18756719-12340034.
Full textAbstract:
In this article, new etymologies for two Old High German words are proposed. Old High German musina ‘bag, satchel’ is explained as a loanword from Slavonic (cf. Old Church Slavonic mošьna ‘bag’), Old High German orgina ‘bit’ as a loanword from Middle Latin *orginum ‘iron ring’. Im Folgenden wird für zwei althochdeutsche Wörter, die bisher etymologisch unklar waren, jeweils eine neue Etymologie vorgeschlagen: Ahd. musina ‚Tasche, Ranzen‘ wird als ein Lehnwort aus dem Slawischen (vgl. aksl. mošьna ‚Tasche‘), ahd. orgina ‚Gebiss, Mundstück am Pferdezaum‘ als Lehnwort aus mlat. *orginum ‚Eisenring‘ erklärt. This article is in German Language.
8
Chernoklinov, Evgeny A. "EVOLUTION OF MODAL VERBS AS MARKERS OF SUBJECTIVE MODALITYIN GERMAN LANGUAGE (COMPARATIVE HISTORICAL ANALYSIS BASEDON OLD, MIDDLE, EARLY NEW AND MODERN HIGH GERMAN LANGUAGES)." Bulletin of the Moscow State Regional University (Linguistics), no. 1 (2020): 116–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.18384/2310-712x-2020-1-116-129.
Full text
9
Jeep, John M. "Stabreimende Wortpaare in den früheren Werken Hartmanns von Aue: Erec, Klage, Minnesang." Yearbook of Phraseology 7, no. 1 (October 1, 2016): 55–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/phras-2016-0004.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Building upon recent phraseological studies on Old High and Middle High German texts, the alliterating word pairs in the early works of Hartmann von Aue are catalogued and analyzed philologically, thus contributing to an emerging complete listing of the paired rhetorical expressions through the Early Middle High German period. The first extant courtly Arthurian romance, Hartmann's Erec, a shorter piece of his known as Diu Klage, and a handful of poems he composed are by all indications from the last decade of the twelfth century, despite later manuscript transmission. Each pair is listed, described in the context in which it appears, and compared with any extant pairs from earlier German works. What emerge are insights into the evolution of these expressions, in some cases through centuries. On the one hand, Hartmann employs alliterating expressions that date to the Old High German period, while on the other hand apparently creating new ones. As in findings in earlier texts, pairs recorded on multiple occasions are likely to have been used by other authors. Typical for medieval German texts – when compared to similar modern expressions – is the insight that there is a fair amount of variation concerning the sequence of the alliterating elements and/or the inclusion of morpho-syntactic modifiers such as pronouns, possessives, adjectives, or adverbs. Modern translations of Hartmann's works into German and English show just how varied these phrases can appear in translation. When known, later examples of the alliterating word-pairs are cited, albeit for obvious reasons only in an incomplete fashion. The long-term project is designed to continue to chart the emergence of the early German alliterating word-pairs chronologically.
10
Wailes. "The Function of gi-Present Verbs in the Old High German and Early Middle High German Physiologus." Journal of English and Germanic Philology 114, no. 3 (2015): 341. http://dx.doi.org/10.5406/jenglgermphil.114.3.0341.
Full text
11
Coniglio, Marco, and Eva Schlachter. "Inversions afterundas a V1 Pattern in Middle High German: Information- and Discourse-Structural Aspects." Journal of Germanic Linguistics 25, no. 3 (August 14, 2013): 199–246. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1470542713000111.
Full textAbstract:
In the following paper, we claim that the so-calledInversionen nach undare instances of V1 clauses. Although these constructions are attested from Old High German to the 19th century, we focus on the Middle High German period. Our arguments are based upon information- and discourse-structural properties. These clauses share typical properties of V1 clauses, namely, the absence of a topic-comment division, their relevance for textual cohesion, the accessibility status of the subject, the lexical semantics of their predicate, and their expressivity.*
12
Werner, Martina. "Three diachronic sources for the development of -erei-based synthetic compounds in German." Word Structure 13, no. 3 (November 2020): 347–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/word.2020.0175.
Full textAbstract:
This article investigates the historical development of synthetic compounds with the suffix -erei, such as German Buchleserei ‘book reading’. Synthetic compounding has been attested in older language stages of German, as in Old High German kirihwihî ‘church consecration’ or Middle High German bluotspîunge ‘blood spitting’. In the history of the German language, synthetic compounds are the last step in the development of a nominalizing suffix. Suffixes attach first to simplex bases (such as German Leserei ‘reading’), and only afterwards can they form synthetic compounds with a compound base (such as Bücherleserei ‘reading of books’). The development of verbal synthetic compounding results from three different sources: a) a suffixal pattern based on compound nominals (such as exocentric Freigeist ‘free spirit’ becomes Freigeisterei ‘free spiritedness’), where the pattern develops the ability to nominalize VPs (such as Nichtstuerei ‘doing nothing’); b) root compounds which develop the ability to take a deverbal head suffixed by -erei (such as Venus–Nascherey ‘Venusian nibbling’); and c) low-frequency - erei-compounds which originate from inherited idiomatic compound verbs (such as Ehebrecherei ‘adultery’, lit. ‘marriage-breakery’ > ehebrechen (V) ‘to commit adultery’, lit. ‘to marriage-break’). The paper delineates the three developments for different word formation types which lead to the morphological distribution of present-day German.
13
Purwitasari, Ana. "SYNTAX STUDIES IN HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS: WORD ORDER IN ENGLISH AND GERMAN AS INDO-GERMANIC LANGUAGES." Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra 17, no. 2 (January 17, 2018): 137. http://dx.doi.org/10.17509/bs_jpbsp.v17i2.9653.
Full textAbstract:
This research aims to describe the development of syntax in English and German diachronically and involves a broader inquiry into English and German as sister languages rooted from Germanic language. In this research, the author gathered data from manuscripts written in both the English and German languages produced at particular times. This research used descriptive-qualitative method. The results showed that: 1) Diachronically, English and German have gone through four periods in their syntax patterns development; 2) Old English and Old High German sentence patterns are apparently the same, adopting SVO-structure; 3) The existence of conjunction separates the verb and object in German, but it does not change anything in the English word-order, from Middle English to Modern English; 3) Early Modern English verbs should be put in the second position. However, Early New High German verb is placed in agreement with the conjunction since conjunction influences the position of the verb and object.Keywords: Syntax; Germanic languages; historical linguistics; Indo-Germanic languagesPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan perkembangan sintaksis dalam bahasa Inggris dan bahasa Jerman secara diakronik dan merupakan penelitian yang diperluas terkait bahasa Inggris dan bahasa Jerman sebagai rumpunbahasa yang berasal dari bahasa Jermanik. Dalam penelitian ini, penulis mengumpulkan data dari manuskrip yang ditulis dalam keduabahasa tersebut, bahasa Inggris danJerman,pada waktu tertentu. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: 1) Secara diakronik, bahasaInggris dan Jerman telah melalui empat periode dalam pengembangan pola sintaksisnya; 2) Pola kalimat bahasaInggris lama dan Jerman lama tampaknya sama, yaitu memilikistruktur SVO; 3) Adanya konjungsi yang memisahkan kata kerja dan benda dalam bahasa Jerman, tidak mengubah apapun dalam ketentuankata perintah padabahasa InggrisdaribahasaInggrisAbad Pertengahan ke bahasa Inggris Modern; 3) Kata kerja bahasa Inggris di awalmasabahasaInggrisModern harus diletakkan di posisi kedua. Namundemikian, kata kerja bahasaJermanditempatkan bersama konjungsi sejakkonjungsimempengaruhi posisi kata kerja dan objek.Kata kunci: Sintaksis; bahasa Jerman; linguistik historis; bahasa Indo-JermanKata kunci: Sintaksis; bahasa Jerman; linguistik historis; bahasa Indo-Jerman
14
Fertig, David. "Morphological Change Through Phonological Analogy: 2nd Person Singular -s → -st and Related Developments in Germanic." Journal of Germanic Linguistics 31, no. 1 (February 15, 2019): 1–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s147054271800003x.
Full textAbstract:
Almost all existing accounts of the change of the 2nd person singular verbal agreement ending -s to -st in Old English and Old High German attribute the development to some combination of reanalysis of forms with enclitic subject pronouns ending in -stu and analogy based on a handful of mainly preterite-present verbs that already had 2nd person singular -st in the present indicative in Proto-(West)-Germanic. These factors retain a role in the analysis presented here, but I argue that the operative mechanisms are essentially phonological in nature, licensed ultimately by certain neutralizing processes such as degemination, rather than involving the spread of an existing -st morpheme, grammaticalization of an enclitic subject pronoun, or relocation of a morphological boundary. This analysis also sheds light on the relationship of the 2nd person singular change to the more general phenomenon of word-final t accretion seen in dozens of words such as German Axt ‘ax’ < Middle High German ackes or English against < earlier agains.*
15
Pickl, Simon. "Ein korpuslinguistischer Beitrag zu Herkunft und Entwicklung des negativen Indefinitums kein." Zeitschrift für germanistische Linguistik 49, no. 1 (April 1, 2021): 84–120. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/zgl-2021-2021.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract This article discusses the origin and historical development of the German n-indefinite kein, which is an unusual negator because it does not share the initial n that marks virtually all other negatives in German. Despite the discussion about its origins going back to the nineteenth century, it is still unclear how kein first emerged and out of which other forms it developed. In this paper, new light is shed on an old controversy using new data and modern corpus-linguistic tools, in this case the Referenzkorpus Mittelhochdeutsch (ReM). The article first summarises the current state of research before presenting and analysing the data. In combination with additional evidence, the results show that certain hypotheses that have to this day been treated as accurate are in fact not viable. Subsequently, a solution that combines some of the existing theses and is compatible with the data is presented: Morphological reanalysis and the ensuing back-formation of kein’s predecessor nehein – in combination with a phonologically conditioned sound substitution triggered by a shift of the syllable boundary – in the context of negative concord seems the most likely candidate for an accurate explanation of the emergence and early usage patterns of kein in Middle High German. Incongruent evidence from Swiss German, however, suggests that partially convergent developments ensuing from different indefinite forms have taken place in that variety.
16
Klinck, Anne L. "Lyric Voice and the Feminine in Some Ancient and Mediaeval Frauenlieder." Florilegium 13, no. 1 (January 1994): 13–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/flor.13.002.
Full textAbstract:
In the study of mediaeval European literature, especially that of France and Germany, the terms chanson de femme and Frauenlied have come to be conventional designations for a distinct type of poem—more broadly defined than a genre: a female-voice love-lyric in a popular rather than a courtly mode. To use the language of Pierre Bec, femininity here is “textual” rather than “genetic.” Most of these “women’s songs” are attributed to male authors, although there has been a tendency to trace the type back to preliterate songs actually composed by women. Goethe, Jakob Grimm, and others saw in the early German and Balkan Frauenlieder and Frauenstrophen the traces of “das älteste Volkspoesie.” The use of this terminology to designate a lyric in the female voice—irrespective of its authorship—goes back to Alfred Jeanroy, at the end of the last century, who defined chanson de femme as a woman’s monologue, usually sad, relating to love (158). Theodor Frings, whose description of the Frauenlied is probably the one that has been the most influential, makes clear that it is a universal, not merely a mediaeval, type. Although he focusses on Middle High German, Provençal, and Old French poetry, he includes examples ranging from Greek to Chinese.
17
Loma, Aleksandar. "The verb osvetiti in the mining code." Juznoslovenski filolog 75, no. 2 (2019): 9–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/jfi1902009l.
Full textAbstract:
Enacted in 1412 by Serbian Despot Stefan Lazarevic, the Mining Code came down to us in two versions, a Cyrillic copy made in the late 16th century and a Latin-alphabet transliteration from 1638, as well as in several translations into Ottoman Turkish. Since the publication of its Cyrillic version in 1962, it has been recognised as a highly valuable source for the history not only of law and economics, but also of the Serbian language. Its linguistic relevance consists not merely in displaying traits of an early dialectal development and rendering a lot of terms borrowed from the Middle High German language of the ?Saxons? (Sasi), settlers who after the second half of 13th century triggered the development of the mining industry in medieval Serbia: moreover, it provides the first attestations of many genuine words of spoken Old Serbian, some of them probably calqued on German patterns. One of these words is osvetiti of the Cyrillic version, apparently identical to Old Serbian osvetiti ?sanctify; impose a legal sanction; revenge? < Common Slavic *obsvetiti, but making no sense in the given context. Yet in the Latin version it occurs twice written with ? rendering e (?yat?), which points to *obsvetiti ?to light up (the mining gallery)?, and such an interpretation seems contextually plausible. If it is true, we have in the Mining Code the single attestation of osvetiti in Serbian outside of the texts written in Church Slavonic. In the vernacular, the verb was replaced by osv(ij)etliti, partly because in the ekavian speeches it became homophonous with osvetiti.
18
Schaller, Helmut Wilhelm. "The German heritage in Balkan languages." Slavia Meridionalis 15 (September 25, 2015): 2–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.11649/sm.2015.002.
Full textAbstract:
The German heritage in Balkan languagesAll Balkan languages show some German elements in their vocabulary, beginning with Old Bulgarian Bible texts up to modern Balkan languages, including Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian, Albanian, Romanian and Modern Greek. Etymologies of Balkan words and German words must be distinguished. Loanwords in Balkan languages are confined to words which are traceable back to Germanic languages, e. g. Gothic, Old and Middle High German and contemporary German. Not only the word store but also onomastics were occasionally influenced by German languages, but it is not possible to speak of a German substrat or adstrat in the way we can speak of a Thracian or Illyrian substrat, or Greek or Romance adstrat. Dziedzictwo germańskie w językach bałkańskichW słownictwie każdego z języków bałkańskich występują pewne germańskie elementy, poczynając od starobułgarskich tekstów biblijnych, a kończąc na współczesnych językach bałkańskich, jakimi są: bułgarski, macedoński, serbski, albański, rumuński i nowogrecki. W badaniach nad etymologią należy wyraźnie rozgraniczać dwa nurty rozwojowe: germański i bałkański. Katalog zapożyczeń ograniczamy do wyrazów obecnych w językach bałkańskich, których etymologię możemy prześledzić wstecz do gockiego, staro- i środkowo-wysoko-niemieckiego oraz współczesnego niemieckiego. Nie tylko słownictwo, lecz także onomastyka wykazują okazjonalnie wpływy niemieckie, jednak w żadnym razie nie ma podstaw, by mówić o germańskim substracie czy adstracie w takim sensie, w jakim mówimy o substracie trackim czy iliryjskim, bądź adstracie romańskim lub greckim.
19
Pollberg, Larysa. "Clarification norms of Middle High German language." Nova fìlologìâ, no. 78 (2019): 55–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.26661/2414-1135/2019-78-09.
Full text
20
Baechler, Raffaela. "Diachronic complexification and isolation." Yearbook of the Poznan Linguistic Meeting 1, no. 1 (December 1, 2014): 1–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/yplm-2015-0001.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract One may hear that over time languages tend to simplify their grammar and notably their morphological system. This intuition, probably based on linguists’ knowledge of the rich inflectional systems of older Indo-European languages, has been challenged, particularly by sociolinguistic typologists (e.g. Trudgill 2011; Braunmuller 1984, 2003; Nichols 1992). They hypothesise that languages spoken by small and isolated communities with a dense network may complexify their grammar (Trudgill 2011: 146-147). The present article investigates the nominal inflection systems of 14 varieties of German in order to survey whether there is any such diachronic tendency towards simplification and whether instances of complexification can be observed, too. The varieties under analysis include present-day Standard German, Old High German and Middle High German (two older stages of German) and eleven present-day non-standard varieties which make part of the Alemannic dialect group. First, it will be shown that there is a diachronic tendency towards simplification if we consider the total complexity of nominal inflection. Second, however, we can identify instances of diachronic complexification too if we take a closer look at single categories. Interestingly, diachronic complexification appears only in the non-standard varieties, not so in the standard variety. This may support the hypothesis that isolated varieties are more complex than non-isolated ones.
21
Volfing, Annette, and Will Hasty. "German Literature of the High Middle Ages." Modern Language Review 103, no. 1 (January 1, 2008): 264. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/20467732.
Full text
22
Murdoch, Brian, and Cyril Edwards. "The Beginnings of German Literature: Comparative and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Old High German." Modern Language Review 99, no. 1 (January 2004): 237. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3738945.
Full text
23
Salmons, Joseph C. "Umlaut and Plurality in Old High German." Diachronica 11, no. 2 (January 1, 1994): 213–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/dia.11.2.05sal.
Full textAbstract:
SUMMARY This article examines the interplay between umlaut and plurality in Old High German as well as the modern language, a diachronic problem central to the theoretical literature on 'Natural Morphology' (NM). The NM analysis of these relations is revised on a variety of theoretical and emplrical counts. This examination results first in a reformulation of iconicity and markedness in the NM morphological typology, namely that umlaut+affix plurals are better understood as hypericonic but at the same time highly marked with regard to other parameters. Further, the rise of such forms in Old High German must be fundamentally philologically reanalyzed. For the masculine /-stems, the evidence points to a phonological origin of the connection of umlaut to plurality, rather than the morphologically-driven account usual in the previous NM literature. RÉSUMÉ Cet article examine l'effet réciproque entre la pluralité et les mutations vocaliques ('umlaut') en Vieux Haut Allemand ainsi que la langue moderne. Le problème diachronique est au centre du débat théorique de la 'morphologie naturelle' (MN). L'analyse du point de vue de MN de cette relation est revisée en considération de plusieurs aspects théoriques et emplriques. Cette investigation propose une formulation nouvelle de l'iconicité et de la théorie de la 'markedness' dans la typologie morphologique de MN; à savoir les pluriels de combinaison 'mutation vocalique-affixe' sont 'hyper-iconiques' alors que fort marqués relativement à d'autres paramètres. En outre, il faut réanalyser l'augmentation de ces formes en Vieux Haut Allemand dans une perspective philologique. Quant aux noms masculins à radicaux i, l'evidénce suggère une origine phonologique de la correspondance entre la mutation vocalique et la pluralité, plutöt que morphologique comme dans les analyses auparavant. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht die Wechselbeziehungen zwischen Umlaut und Pluralität im Althochdeutschen sowie im modernen Deutschen, ein Problem der historischen Sprachforschung, das im Mittelpunkt der theoreti-schen Diskussion zur 'Natürlichen Morphologie' (NM) steht. Die NM-Analyse dieser Wechselbeziehungen wird anhand von mehreren theoretisehen und em-plrischen Überlegungen revidiert. Dabei fiihrt die Untersuchung zunächst zu einer Neubearbeitung von Ikonizitat und Markiertheit in der NM morpho-logischen Typologie, namlich dadurch, daB Umlaut+Affix Pluralformen eher als 'hyperikonisch', aber gleichzeitig hinsichtlich anderer Parameter als stark markiert zu verstehen sind. Weiter muß die Entstehung solcher Formen im Althochdeutschen philologisch neu bewertet werden. Im Falle der maskulinen i-Stamme deuten die Daten darauf hin, daB der Ursprung der Verknupfung des Umlauts mit der Pluralmarkierung phonologische Griinde hat und nicht mor-phologisch motiviert ist, wie man gewöhnlich in der NM-Literatur ange-nommen hat.
24
Concu, Valentina. "Temporal Deixis in Old Saxon and Old High German." Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur 141, no. 2 (June 1, 2019): 157–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bgsl-2019-0012.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Jetzt ›now‹ and bald ›soon‹ are frequently used in German to express temporal references with present and future readings, respectively. However, it is not unusual to find them combined with the Perfekt and Präteritum, which are commonly described in the literature as past tenses. Although such use of temporal deixis in Modern German is well studied, there is still little research on this topic from a historical perspective. In this paper, I attempt to fill this gap in the literature by exploring the use of the adverb nu ›now‹, ›then‹ in Old Saxon and Old High German. Textual analyses of these works reveal that the ›Hêliand‹ and the ›Evangelienbuch‹ exhibit a use of the adverb nu similar to the use of jetzt and bald in Modern German, since it was found in combination not only with the Präsens, but also with the Präteritum, and with what can be recognized as the prototype of the modern Perfekt. The analyses also show that, although nu was often used as a pragmatic marker to highlight particular passages or convey the author’s attitude in relation to a specific event, it also retained its temporal meaning, especially when combined with the past tenses, establishing the chronological sequence of the narration.
25
Pakis, Valentine Anthony. "John 2.4a in the Old High German ›Tatian‹." Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur (PBB) 128, no. 2 (September 2006): 221–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bgsl.2006.221.
Full text
26
Dvorak, Paul F., Kim Vivian, Frank Tobin, and Richard H. Lawson. "Survey of German Literature Volume I: Old High German to Storm and Stress. Volume II: Classicism to Naturalism." Modern Language Journal 72, no. 3 (1988): 361. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/327544.
Full text
27
Green, D. H., and Alexandra Stirling-Hellenbrand. "Topographies of Gender in Middle High German Arthurian Romance." Modern Language Review 99, no. 1 (January 2004): 239. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3738946.
Full text
28
Lenz, Alexandra N., Fabian Fleißner, Agnes Kim, and Stefan Michael Newerkla. "give as a put verb in German – A case of German-Czech language contact?" Journal of Linguistic Geography 8, no. 2 (October 2020): 67–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jlg.2020.6.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThis contribution focuses on the use of geben ‘give’ as a put verb in Upper German dialects in Austria from a historical and a recent perspective. On the basis of comprehensive historical and contemporary data from German varieties and Slavic languages our analyses provide evidence for the central hypothesis that this phenomenon traces back to language contact with Czech as already suggested by various scholars in the 19th century. This assumption is also supported by the fact that Czech dát ‘give’ in put function has been accounted for since the Old Czech period as well as by its high frequency in both formal and informal Czech written texts. Moreover, our data analyses show that geben ‘give’ as a put verb has been and is still areally distributed along and spreading from the contact area of Czech and Upper German varieties.
29
Gibbs, Marion E., and Albrecht Classen. "Women as Protagonists and Poets in the German Middle Ages: An Anthology of Feminist Approaches to Middle High German Literature." Modern Language Review 90, no. 1 (January 1995): 227. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3733348.
Full text
30
Fournier, J. "New directions in middle high German lexicography: dictionaries interlinked electronically." Literary and Linguistic Computing 16, no. 1 (April 1, 2001): 99–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/llc/16.1.99.
Full text
31
Oksanych, M. P. "POSITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBORDINATE CONDITIONAL CLAUSES IN THE MIDDLE HIGH GERMAN LANGUAGE." Тrаnscarpathian Philological Studies 1, no. 14 (2020): 168–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.32782/tps2663-4880/2020.14-1.30.
Full text
32
Drăghici, Maria-Gabriela. "THE STAGES OF ORGANIZING THE GERMAN LANGUAGE CLASS (L2)." International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH 8, no. 7 (July 28, 2020): 137–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i7.2020.622.
Full textAbstract:
Learning German L2 is a challenge for fresh teachers, as the aspects they encounter in teaching are related to psycho-pedagogical factors, often difficult to manage. Most teachers prefer high-school teaching, considering that pupils are calmer and understand the notions taught faster than middle school or primary school pupils. However, we can say that all pupils, regardless of age, need a teacher who knows how to capture their attention in an engaging style. Teachers need to know that regardless of age, pupils are driven by affectivity and the role models they have in front of the class can positively influence their lives. Therefore, the constant training of the teacher is importer in order to properly manage the scientific principles in harmony with the psycho-pedagogical ones in teaching, learning and assessment in the classroom. Starting from the method of observation, our article deals with an essential topic of teaching German (L2) in primary school. But to observe the behavioral importance of teachers, we considered a total of 98 pupils from three 5th forms.
33
Kraiss, Andrew. "The Evolution of the Definite Article in Old High German." Journal of Germanic Linguistics 26, no. 2 (May 19, 2014): 127–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1470542714000038.
Full textAbstract:
This paper is an investigation of the early use of the Old High German demonstrative as a definite article. Previous work has often failed to take into account the many ways that the definite article can be employed or the fact that new grammatical structures sometimes evolve over great lengths of time. This paper discusses the evolutionary process and stages of article use in three individual OHG documents, the Isidor translation, the Tatian translation, and Otfrid's Evangelien-buch, the three longest OHG documents in Franconian dialects. It proposes that a definite article did exist from the earliest recorded examples of OHG although with differing uses at different times (and places).*
34
ROBINSON, ORRIN W. "CAUSES, CONJECTURES AND CONJUNCTIONS IN EARLY OLD HIGH GERMAN TRANSLATIONS." Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur (PBB) 1993, no. 115 (1993): 1–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bgsl.1993.1993.115.1.
Full text
35
Shkolyarenko, Vira. "CHRONOTOPIC PHRASEOLOGICAL SYMBOLS OF OLD-HIGH GERMAN." Research Bulletin Series Philological Sciences 1, no. 193 (April 2021): 326–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.36550/2522-4077-2021-1-193-326-333.
Full textAbstract:
The thesis is devoted to the linguocultural study of the formation of German phraseological units during VIII-XI centuries. The paper suggests a new approach to the study of German phraseology from diachronic aspect of linguoculturology, which consists in identification of national-cultural factors relevant for the formation ofphraseological world representation of Old High German period. The criteria for establishing the national-cultural specificity of phraseology have been defined. The experience of systematization of phraseological units in diachrony based on a system of images and values of a certain historical period have been described. Historical and genetic analyses of phraseological units have been determined. The article is closely connected with the definition of peculiarities of space-time experience of the speakers of Old High German language as one of the most important extralingual fragment of reality. The usage of this approach can give a complete picture of national-cultural peculiarities of phraseological system of German of VIII-XI centuries. National- cultural factors relevant for formation of phraseological world representation of Old High German period have been determined.
36
Hall, T. A. "Middle High German [rs] > [r ] as height dissimilation." Journal of Comparative Germanic Linguistics 11, no. 3 (November 2008): 213–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10828-008-9021-5.
Full text
37
Lameli, Alfred. "Phonetic Measurement and Metalinguistic Judgment." Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique 49, no. 3-4 (December 2004): 253–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0008413100003510.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThis article compares the results of measurements of objective language data with the subjective judgments of linguistically naïve individuals. The comparison is based upon recordings of speech orientated towards the standard language. The data surveyed are from the West Middle German city of Mainz and the northern Low German city of Neumünster. In both cases, recordings of council meetings, in which members of a defined social group are acting in an authentic situation, were evaluated. The data were first measured using a technique designed to quantify the phonetic divergence from the standard language. Subsequently, the recordings were played to various groups of non-specialists from different regions in both the Low German and Middle German dialect areas. Participants were asked to assess the speech of the councillors on a seven-step rating scale. The results show a high similarity between the intersubjective measurement of linguistic items and the metalinguistic judgments of the listeners.
38
Dubinin, S. I. "«Würzburg mark description» as an early monument of the Old High German language." Vestnik of Samara University. History, pedagogics, philology 27, no. 1 (April 26, 2021): 103–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.18287/2542-0445-2021-27-1-103-115.
Full textAbstract:
The article concerns the issues of discussion about the composition of the monuments of ancient German writing that are relevant to the history of the German literary language of the initial period, in particular the texts of agrarian law of the 8th century descriptions of land detours and demarcations of the Main Franconian region. The thesis of the clerical exclusivity of ancient German writing dominates by inertia in Russian historical Germanic studies. The relevance of the research carried out on the material of the unique monument of the so-called second description of the Wrzburg mark is associated with the approbation of an integrated approach to the analysis of the language and genre and stylistic affiliation of the text. The place of this source in the corpus of autochthonous texts of the VIII century from Wrzburg is determined. The research solves the problem of decoding the semiotic meanings contained in this old-written text, which is identified as a protocol for oral presentation. The main research methods are onomastic and component analysis (toponyms, anthroponyms), a toolkit of historical-stylistic, discursive and hermeneutic approaches using digital technologies. The genre content and linguistic characteristics of the monument are specified. The description of the Wrzburg demarcation and related texts is considered in the context of the linguistic situation of the VIIIXI centuries. The main conclusions of the study: as a small-format legal text, this monument has a special semantic nature, encodes valuable historical and cultural information, unique relics of the transitional early feudal era in Germany; its reference (referential) function, areаlogy, toponymic and anthroponymic semiotics are revealed through intertextual connections with other Old High German monuments of the XVIII century.
39
Fortuna, Marcin. "A typological shift in the phonological history of German from the perspective of licensing scales." Beyond Philology An International Journal of Linguistics, Literary Studies and English Language Teaching, no. 15/1 (December 18, 2018): 9–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.26881/bp.2018.1.01.
Full textAbstract:
The paper argues that the typological shift of German from a syllable language to a word language (Szczepaniak 2007) can be accounted for through reference to a change at the level of the nuclei and their licensing abilities (Cyran 2003, 2010). Old High German used full nuclei in all positions of the word. In the late Old High German period, unstressed vowel reduction took place and entailed a domino effect of further changes. Reduced vowels were granted more licensing potential, and empty nuclei were strengthened too. This parametric shift is assumed to lie at the heart of the whole typological shift. There is no need to state that Old High German “profiled” the syllable, while Modern High German “profiles” the word, since most of the associated phenomena can be explained with more basic mechanisms.
40
Mihułka, Krystyna. "Zum Stellenwert des Deutschen in Polen." Glottodidactica. An International Journal of Applied Linguistics 47, no. 1 (June 1, 2020): 53071. http://dx.doi.org/10.14746/gl.2020.47.1.04.
Full textAbstract:
The German language in Poland has a very long tradition dating back to the 18th century. Over the centuries, under the influence of historical, political, economic and social factors, the image of Germany and Germans in Poland as well as the attitude of Poles towards the German language have been subject to continual evolution. The aim of this article is to discuss the position of the German language in Poland, mainly in the 21st century. Particular attention is paid to the discussion of the importance of this language in the Polish educational system in the past two decades, and the changing number of people learning, predominantly in primary and secondary education. Moreover, the reasons for the relatively high level of dislike of the German language among Poles (including learners of German) are presented and analysed. The discussion of the current status of German in our country is preceded by a brief historical outline showing the significance of the German language in Poland as well as the attitude of Poles towards this language over the centuries, beginning with the Old-Polish period
41
Chappell, Mark. "Old High German Glosses to Boethius in MS Cambridge Add. 2992." Modern Language Review 82, no. 2 (April 1987): 376. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3728431.
Full text
42
Davis, Garry W. "Toward a Progression Theory of the Old High German Consonant Shift." Journal of Germanic Linguistics 20, no. 3 (September 2008): 197–241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s147054270800007x.
Full textAbstract:
The preference for bimoraic stressed syllables in pre-Old High German necessitated the phonological restructuring of syllables with stressed, short vowels either by early implementation of open syllable lengthening (non-shifting dialects north of the Benrath line) or by triggering an autochthonous phonological shift of+t,+p,+kafter short vowels (shifting dialects). From there, the OHG dialects “progressed” though the rest of the shift in a largely parallel fashion. Asymmetry of the shift of+-pand+-kand geminate+-ppand+-kkwas caused by place bias, however, especially in the Rhenish dialects where tone accents could sometimes delay or block the shift of these segments. The greater susceptibility of the more marked labial and velar affricates (-pf- and −kx-) to weakening limited their later occurrence to dialects outside the Rhineland. The reanalysis of aspirated+t- [th],+p-[ph],+k-[kh] as affricates in initial position was possible only when the corresponding geminate had already shifted, exemplifying both the effects of place bias as well as a kind of phonological reanalysis Blevins (2004) calls “choice.”
43
Estis, Alexander. "Prolegomena zu einer neuen mittelhochdeutschen Metrik." Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur 143, no. 3 (September 1, 2021): 396–414. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bgsl-2021-0029.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to criticize established doctrines in the field of metrical analysis of Middle High German verse by incriminating ‒ especially from a methodological view ‒ the inconsistency and arbitrarity of traditional scansion instruments. Thus, broad descriptive research on prosodic regularities, which a new metric theory of Middle High German verse could build upon, is shown to be a desideratum.
44
Fomicheva, Aleksandra Andreevna. "Lexical polysemy and homonymy in the Middle High German language in light of the problematic of lexical synonymy and lexical-semantic analysis." Litera, no. 8 (August 2021): 51–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.25136/2409-8698.2021.8.36311.
Full textAbstract:
Based on the compositions of pre-courteous epic poetry and chivalric romance written in the Middle High German language, this article reviews the problem of lexical polysemy in relation to the phenomena of homonymy and synonymy, as well as the problem of structural description of lexis. The need for comprehensive examination of polysemous lexemes in the Middle High German language, which includes structural analysis of the meaning of polysemous word and the lexical-thematic group and/or synonymic row it belongs to, well as the study of contextual implementation of the meanings of polysemous word, is substantiated by the principle of diffusivity of meanings of polysemous word that complicates comprising dictionary definitions and creates difficulties for the researcher in distinguishing the meanings of a polysemous word and separating polysemy from homonymy. Based on the example of lexical-thematic group for denomination of edged weapon in the Middle High German Language, the author demonstrates the appropriateness of using lexical-semantic analysis for establishing systemic relations between the analyzed lexemes, as well as postulates the importance of the context in determination of the structure of polysemous word. Discussion of the given examples from the compositions of pre-courteous epic poetry and chivalric romance written in the Middle High German language is accompanied by the author’s clarifications to the dictionary definitions of the lexemes under review. The conclusion is made on feasibility of the authorial approach towards detection of the discrepancies between lexicographic data and use of the lexeme in the texts written in the Middle High German language. The author also believes that this research is valuable from the perspective of lexicographic practice.
45
Lukin, Pavel V. "Strata of the Novgorod Population in the Opasnaia Gramota of 1472." Slovene 4, no. 1 (2015): 253–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.31168/2305-6754.2015.4.1.15.
Full textAbstract:
The article is devoted to a study of Novgorodian social terms mentioned in the Opasnaia Gramota, a charter which secured the inviolability of ambassadors during their stays abroad; the charter dates from 1472. There are two extant copies of this document: the original, written in Old Russian, and the contemporary Middle Low German translation. The Old Russian version was published by Anna L. Khoroshkevich in 1966. Now an edition of the Middle Low German translation is being prepared in Germany. By comparing two versions of the same text written in two different languages, one is able to draw some conclusions about the meaning of social terms mentioned in the charter. References to ‘well-to-do people’ (zhitii liudi), ‘merchants’ (kuptsy), and ‘black people’ (chernye liudi) are of particular interest. Zhitii liudi are called ‘well-to-do merchants’ (wolmagenden copluden) in the Middle Low German translation. Relying on this fact (along with other data), one can assume that at least in the 1470s, zhitii liudi may have been simultaneously merchants and landowners. In other words, one can imagine that all zhitii were merchants but not all merchants were zhitii. The charter shows also that the expression chernye liudi (in the Middle Low German translation: de gemene lude) in 15th-century Novgorod stood for the bulk of the common (but free) townsmen, and not for a particular group of the population that did not possess full rights. Finally, the Middle Low German translation of the charter clearly indicates that its author considered ‘merchants’ and ‘merchants’ children’ to have been either synonyms or similar terms without any significant difference apart from some minor negligible nuances. He translates both with the same expression, copludes kindere, and distinguishes them from ‘merchants’ elders’ (oldesten kopluden).
46
Jędrzejowski, Łukasz. "On the loss of copy-raising and the development of infinitive complements." Journal of Historical Linguistics 5, no. 1 (August 28, 2015): 72–109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1075/jhl.5.1.03jed.
Full textAbstract:
This article deals with (non‑)finite complement clauses embedded under the inceptive phase predicate beginnen ‘begin’ in the history of German and illustrates how infinitives replaced finite clauses headed by the complementizer dass ‘that’. The main objective is to show that it was possible in Old High German (750–1050) to raise the subject from the embedded clause into the matrix subject position, crossing a CP boundary and leaving a pronominal copy in the dependent clause (copy-raising). Moreover, it is claimed that beginnen in its function as a subject control verb instantiates a recent development in the history of German and that this use developed out of a raising structure.
47
Löffler, Anette. "sagitta volante – philere vligend: A hitherto undiscovered fragment of an interlinear Latin-German Psalms translation at the Schwerin State Library sagitta volante – philere vligend: Ein unbekanntes Fragment einer interlinearen lateinisch-deutschen Psalmenübersetzung in der Landesbibliothek Schwerin." Zeitschrift fuer deutsches Altertum und Literatur 150, no. 2 (April 1, 2021): 220–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.3813/zfda-2021-0007.
Full textAbstract:
A fragment containing a Latin-German Psalter Text was uncovered at the Schwerin State Library while examining a recovered binder's waste. These Psalms emerge from the Septuagint tradition. The fragment dates to the last quarter of the 13 th century. The translated text is composed in Middle Low German and Middle High German. Bei der Erschließung der mittelalterlichen Makulatur wurde in der Landesbibliothek Schwerin ein Fragment mit einer lateinisch-deutschen Psalmenübersetzung gefunden. Die Psalmen orientieren sich an der Überlieferung der Septuaginta. Das Fragment stammt aus dem letzten Viertel des 13. Jahrhunderts. Die Schreibsprache ist mitteldeutsch/niederdeutsch.
48
Somers, Katerina. "The Introduction and Extension of the -st Ending in Old High German." Journal of Germanic Linguistics 23, no. 2 (May 6, 2011): 141–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1470542711000055.
Full textAbstract:
This article seeks to explain the synchronic variation found in the second person singular inflectional ending (attested both as -s and -st) in the Old High German Evangelienbuch, while at the same time pro-viding a diachronic account of the introduction and extension of the -st ending in German. In order to achieve these goals, in my analysis I rely on the notions of cliticization and formal analogy, arguing that the innovative and original endings correlate with different syntactic environments (V1/V2 versus Vfinal), on the one hand, and different formal shapes (is versus ôs/ês), on the other. After presenting an account of the development of -st in OHG, I draw conclusions regarding the broader question of how clitics become (part of) inflection, a discussion which in turn has implications for the theories scholars use to describe and explain language change, specifically that of grammaticalization.*
49
VENNEMANN, THEO. "Celtic influence in English? Yes and No." English Language and Linguistics 13, no. 2 (July 2009): 309–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1360674309003049.
Full textAbstract:
Compared to German Ja and Nein, English Yes and No are used less frequently, and often in combination with short sentences consisting of a pronoun and an auxiliary or modal verb: Yes I will; No I won't. When such a short sentence is used, Yes and No may be omitted: I will; I won't; I do; I don't; He can; They certainly won't. This difference in usage is established (1) by comparing the marriage vow in German and English, where the officiant's question is answered by Ja in German but by I will or I do in English; (2) by citing material from a practical grammar for German students of English; and (3) by studying the way Shakespeare has his figures answer decision questions, or Yes/No-questions, in comparison with Schlegel's way of rendering their answers in his German translation. Next it is shown that Shakespeare's way, which is essentially the same as modern usage, differs radically from earlier English usage up to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1388–1400) and Troilus and Cresseide (1382–6) and the anonymous York Plays (fourteenth century) and Towneley Plays (late fourteenth century), which all reflect the Germanic usage, essentially the same as in German. It is concluded that the modern English usage arose during the two centuries between Chaucer and Shakespeare, as a Late Middle English and Early Modern English innovation. As for the reason why English developed this un-Germanic way of answering decision questions, reference is made to Insular Celtic: decision questions are answered with short sentences in both Irish and Welsh, and this usage is old in both languages. The viability of this contact explanation is underlined by Irish English, where Yes and No are used even less frequently than in Modern Standard English, and short sentences are the normal way of answering decision questions.
50
Catasso, Nicholas. "Die Janusköpfigkeit des ahd. Konnektors wanta und ihre Relevanz für die korpusbasierte historische Syntaxforschung." Zeitschrift für germanistische Linguistik 46, no. 2 (September 10, 2018): 248–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/zgl-2018-0015.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract The Old High German clause connector wanta (‘because’) has been variously categorized in the literature, as well as in the largest existing corpus of annotated Old High German texts (the Referenzkorpus Altdeutsch), with respect to its selectional properties: when it introduces a causal clause, it is generally classified as a conjunction with variable (coordinating or subordinating) formal features or, in a smaller number of cases, as an adverb. This heterogeneous taxonomy, however, does not seem to be systematically justified by any evident semantic or syntactic correlate. In this paper, it is shown – on the basis of data from the main prose texts of this period – that wanta exhibits the same interpretive flexibility as embedding Present-Day German weil (viz. a propositional and a speech-act related reading) and that at least its function as a subordinating conjunction can, in most cases, be disambiguated by means of diagnostic tests (e. g., the predicates it introduces can resume cataphoric main-clause pronouns and appear in topicalized positions). The aim of the present contribution is therefore twofold: in the first place, to descriptively address the strategies for the expression of causation in Old High German; in the second place, to provide a precise syntactic categorization for Old High German wanta as a complementizer that may be of help to historical syntacticians who analyze clause phenomena in the above mentioned sources; finally, to address the methodological problem related to the categorization of non-disambiguable occurrences of wanta.