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The noun phrase and the ‘Viking Hypothesis’

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2019

Paola Crisma  and
Susan Pintzuk
Paola Crisma
Affiliation:
Università di Trieste and University of York
Susan Pintzuk
Affiliation:
University of York
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Abstract

In this article we use the syntax of the noun phrase to evaluate two competing hypotheses: the traditional account, that Middle English is a West Germanic language with Old English as its immediate ancestor, and Emonds and Faarlund's (2014) proposal, that Middle English is a North Germanic language, the direct descendant of Old Norse. The development of nominal syntax shows that the Middle English noun phrase can be derived only from Old English, not from Old Norse. We examine six nominal characteristics; in each case, we find in Middle English exactly the construction that one would expect given the nominal syntax of previous Old English stages. The evidence from Old Norse shows that, although some of the same constructions did develop in the same way in the attested Norse varieties, the development occurred only at a later stage, too late to have affected the syntax of Middle English.

Type
Research Article
Information
Language Variation and Change , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , July 2019 , pp. 219 - 246
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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Footnotes

This paper was mostly written during Crisma's research leave in 2017–18. It was presented at DiGS 19 (Stellenbosch, 6–8 September 2017), AICED 20 (Bucharest, 7–9 June 2018), and the ICEHL XX workshop English as a syntactic outlier (Edinburgh, 27–30 August 2018). The authors thank the audiences of all these conferences for their helpful comments. Sincere thanks also to the two anonymous Language Variation and Change reviewers for their contribution in making it a better paper. A special thanks to Endre Mørck for his careful reading of an early draft and the detailed comments he provided.

The paper is the result of continuous collaboration between the two authors. Crisma is responsible for all the research on the literature on Nordic, Pintzuk conducted all the original searches on the YCOE, PPCME2, and IcePaHC. The first draft was mostly written by Crisma and subsequently changed by the two authors after discussion. For legal purposes, Crisma takes responsibility for the following sections: Materials, The morphological realization of the definite article, The establishment of the definite article, The indefinite article. Pintzuk for the following sections: Introduction, Background: political and linguistic history, Demonstratives, Possessive pronouns. The authors take joint responsibility for sections Genitive position and Discussion and conclusions.

References

SOURCES

Danish:

The Legend of St. Christina (appr. 1300). In Nelly Uldaler & Gerd Wellejus (eds) Gammeldansk læsebog. København: Gyldendal 1968, pp. 283–286.

The Stockholm B 69 manuscript containing the Scanic Law (1174, ms appr. 1350). In Johs. Brøndum-Nielsen et al. (eds) Danmarks gamle Landskabslove (: Medieval Danish Lawtexts), I-VIII. 1933–1941, København: Gyldendal. Vol. 1,1, Text II.

English: we refer to OE/ME texts with the short titles of the YCOE and the PPCME2, which provide philological information.

Icelandic: for the texts used for Figure 5, refer to the documentation in the IcePaHC.

Heimskringla (13th c). In: Jónsson, Finnur (ed.), Heimskringla [Noregs konunga sögur af Snorri Sturluson I–IV]. Copenhagen 1893–1901.

Swedish

Texts quoted in the examples:

Äldre Västgötalagen (1225, ms 1280). In: Samling af Sweriges gamla lagar, ed. Hans Samuel Collin and Carl Johan Schlyter, 1827, vol. 1. Stockholm: Haeggström.

Codex Bureanus (1276–1307). In: Ett fornsvenskt legendarium, ed. Georg Stephens, 1847. Samlingar utgivna av Svenska fornskriftsällskapet 7:1. Stockholm: Norstedt.

Karl Magnus-sagan (a.1400, ms 1430–50). In: Prosadikter från Sveriges medeltid, ed. Gustaf Edvard Klemming, 1887–1889. Samlingar utgivna av Svenska fornskriftsällskapet 28. Stockholm: Norstedt.

Abbreviations (with approximate date of composition/manuscript):

Bild

Codex Bildstenianus (first half of the 15th c).

Bir

The revelations of Saint Birgitta (end of 14th c).

Did

Sagan om Didrik af Bern (1449–1476).

Gadh

Hemming Gadh's letters (1498–1520).

MELL

Magnus Erikssons landslag enligt Cod. Ups. B 23 (1347).

Mose

Fem moseböcker på fomsvenska enligt Cod. Holm. A1 (beginning 14th c).

ÖgL

Östgotalagens (1290).

PMB

Peder Månsson's bondakonst (1507–1524).

SD1

Svenskt diplomatarium (SD 709, SD 799, SD 813) (1281, 1285, 1285).

SD2

Svenskt diplomatarium (1335–1354).

Sko

Skomakarnas skrå (1474 - some parts from before 1450).

ST

Själens tröst (1430–40).

UL

Upplandslagen enligt Cod. Holm. B199 (ca. 1350).

Vidh

Vidhemsprästens anteckningar (1325).

VKE

Vadstena klosters ekonomi (1443–1448).

Codex Bildstenianus (first half of the 15th c).

The revelations of Saint Birgitta (end of 14th c).

Sagan om Didrik af Bern (1449–1476).

Hemming Gadh's letters (1498–1520).

Magnus Erikssons landslag enligt Cod. Ups. B 23 (1347).

Fem moseböcker på fomsvenska enligt Cod. Holm. A1 (beginning 14th c).

Östgotalagens (1290).

Peder Månsson's bondakonst (1507–1524).

Svenskt diplomatarium (SD 709, SD 799, SD 813) (1281, 1285, 1285).

Svenskt diplomatarium (1335–1354).

Skomakarnas skrå (1474 - some parts from before 1450).

Själens tröst (1430–40).

Upplandslagen enligt Cod. Holm. B199 (ca. 1350).

Vidhemsprästens anteckningar (1325).

Vadstena klosters ekonomi (1443–1448).

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