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Rethinking Syntactic Boundaries in Old Norse
Syntactic Variation and Information Structure in Old Norwegian
Series: - Brill's Studies in Historical Linguistics, Volume: 25
Author:
What if Old Norwegian syntax diverged from Old Icelandic earlier than previously assumed? Discover the hidden dynamics of Old Norwegian syntax in this groundbreaking volume that challenges the long-held view that Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic can, on a syntactic level, be treated uniformly under the broader term âOld Norse.â Through detailed analyses of information structure and prosodic weight, this book reveals â among other findings â an early shift toward fixed VO word order in Old Norwegian, contrasting with Old Icelandicâs freer syntax. Drawing on thoroughly annotated Old Norwegian corpus data and comparative insights from other Germanic languages, this monograph offers new perspectives for scholars of historical linguistics and Scandinavian studies, as well as manuscript research.
Juliane Tiemann, Ph.D., University of Bergen, is a senior academic librarian and the academic director of Digital Development at the University of Bergen Library. Her research falls within the fields of historical linguistics, manuscript studies, and diplomatics, with a specialized focus on the analysis of medieval Norwegian written materials. Her recent publications include Modifying Variation: Adjective Position in Old Norwegian (Language Science Press, 2024).
Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Tables and Figures
Abbreviations
1 Introduction
â1âThe Four Studies of the Research Project
â2âThe Motivation behind This Project
â3âThe Challenges Inherent in This Project
â4âThe Structure of This Book
2 The Theoretical Framework
â1âInformation-Structural Theories and Notational Conventions
â2âWorking Definitions
â3âOld Norse and Syntactic Variation
â4âResearch Gap
3 Criteria for the Choice of Material
â1âOn Old Norwegian
â2âThe Text Selection
â3âThe Manuscript and Its Accessibility
4 Corpus Presentation and Methodology
â1âSome Theoretical Assumptions
â2âInformation Status and Prosodic Weight
â3âCorpus Annotation
â4âThe Database
â5âPotential Sources of Errors
5 Main Findings
â1âStudy I: The Object Position in Old Norwegian: An Interplay between Syntax, Prosody, and Information Structure
â2âStudy II: Historical Punctuation in Old Norse: Visual Reflexes of Information Structure
â3âStudy III: Modifying Variation: The Adjective Position in Old Norwegian
â4âStudy IV: My Kind of Variation! Possessives in Old Norwegian
6 Summary and Conclusions
â1âResearch Framework and Context
â2âConcluding Remarks
Appendix
BibliographyâSource of Data
Index
Acknowledgments
List of Tables and Figures
Abbreviations
1 Introduction
â1âThe Four Studies of the Research Project
â2âThe Motivation behind This Project
â3âThe Challenges Inherent in This Project
â4âThe Structure of This Book
2 The Theoretical Framework
â1âInformation-Structural Theories and Notational Conventions
â2âWorking Definitions
â3âOld Norse and Syntactic Variation
â4âResearch Gap
3 Criteria for the Choice of Material
â1âOn Old Norwegian
â2âThe Text Selection
â3âThe Manuscript and Its Accessibility
4 Corpus Presentation and Methodology
â1âSome Theoretical Assumptions
â2âInformation Status and Prosodic Weight
â3âCorpus Annotation
â4âThe Database
â5âPotential Sources of Errors
5 Main Findings
â1âStudy I: The Object Position in Old Norwegian: An Interplay between Syntax, Prosody, and Information Structure
â2âStudy II: Historical Punctuation in Old Norse: Visual Reflexes of Information Structure
â3âStudy III: Modifying Variation: The Adjective Position in Old Norwegian
â4âStudy IV: My Kind of Variation! Possessives in Old Norwegian
6 Summary and Conclusions
â1âResearch Framework and Context
â2âConcluding Remarks
Appendix
BibliographyâSource of Data
Index
This book targets researchers and postgraduate students in historical linguistics, Scandinavian studies, and manuscript research, as well as scholars in Old Norse syntax, information structure, and Germanic language development.