Relevanzgesteuerter morphologischer Umbau im Frühneuhochdeutschen

Das Frühneuhochdeutsche hat ohne Zweifel als die morphologisch aktivste und dynamischste Periode der deutschen Sprachgeschichte zu gelten. Die morphologischen Umstrukturierungen, Neuordnungen und Rationalisierungen wirken bis heute nach

The superstable marker as an indicator of categorial weakness?

In this article we examine and "exapt" Wurzel's concept of superstable markers in an innovative manner. We develop an extended view of superstability through a critical discussion of Wurzel's original definition and the status of marker-superstability versus allomorphy in Natural Morphology: As we understand it, superstability is - above and beyond a step towards uniformity - mainly a symptom for the weakening of the category affected (cf. 1.,2. and 4.). This view is exemplified in four short case studies on superstability in different grammatical categories of four Germanic languages: genitive case in Mainland Scandinavian and English (3.1), plural formation in Dutch (3.2), second person singular ending -st in German (3.3), and ablaut generalisation in Luxembourgish (3.4)

Evaluative Wortbildung und Personenreferenz. : Maskulina auf -i und ihre femininen Entsprechungen in alemannischen Dialekten – auch als Indikator für Geschlechterstereotype im Wörterbuch

The word formation pattern [ __-i]N mask. in Alemannic mainly derives masculine agent nouns from verbs resulting in output semantics of ‘someone who notoriously acts in the manner of base verb’. I analyse the pattern as an instance of evaluative morphology embedded in a more general output oriented schema and propose a scenario how the pattern may have developed from an OHG hypochoristic pattern primarily used in names. In a qualitative and quantitative analysis of two dialect dictionaries on Zürich German and Bernese German I look into the possible lexical fillings of the pattern and derive areas of stereotypisation. As the products of the pattern are masculine nouns, it is of interest whether the lemmas are flanked with a feminine form or not, and if they are, whether the feminine form follows or precedes the masculine form or is added as a separate lemma without a masculine pendant. The analysis also includes neuter forms ending in -i listed in the dictionaries. As the masculine products of the pattern already reflect stereotyped behaviour, the feminine (and neuter) forms included in the diction­na­ries are expected to sediment gender stereotypes to a high degree

Pluralallomorphie in zehn germanischen Sprachen : Konvergenzen und Divergenzen in Ausdrucksverfahren und Konditionierung

This article compares the noun plural systems of ten Germanic languages focusing on the number of allomorphs, their formal shape and the assignment principles used for allomorph distribution. It further aims at identifying the interrelating factors, categories, and features decisive for the very different ways in which plural allomorphy is organized in languages of the same origin. The major relevant factors are pointed out with special emphasis on the role of gender, semantic and rhythmic assignment, and the role of high token frequency. On formal grounds, the fusion vs. separation of case and number as well as the role of zero morphology vs. redundant marking, of stem alternation and the direction of influence between stem and affix are discussed

Bewegte Namen im Varietätenspektrum und Sprachkontakt.: Einleitung zum Themenheft

The case studies collected in this thematic issue focus on specific constellations of “Names in Motion”, adaptation processes of anthroponyms and toponyms in standard dialect diglossia and in language contact. Constellations of internal and external multilingualism prove to be a rich source for structural adaptation processes and the emergence of onymic variants. Within adaptation processes, the medial dimension of variation between orality and literacy plays a crucial role. In the introduction, we first present the individual contributions, and then discuss cross-connections and explore possible generalizations

Die schönen alten Formen ... Grammatischer Wandel der deutschen Verbalflexion - Verfall oder Reorganisation?

Betrachtet man "Verfallserscheinungen" des Verbalsystems wie Übergänge stark > schwach, so zeigt sich, dass hier weder Rezenz noch Verfall zu konstatieren ist. Mit diachroner und analytischer Tiefe offenbart sich ein gestaffelter, systematischer Komplexitätsabbau, der seine Hochphase im Frühneuhochdeutschen hat und sich schlecht mit der Passivität und Chaos implizierenden Verfallsmetapher verträgt: Reorganisation statt Dekadenz. Entwicklungen wie der präteritale Numerusausgleich ('ich sang' – 'wir sungen' > 'ich sang' – 'wir sangen') oder die Herausbildung der vereinfachten Ablautalternanz X–o–o sind nie nur Komplexitätsreduktion, sondern immer auch Systematisierung; sie bremsen Verfall. Dabei ist der Gewinn an Systematik i.d.R. nicht Normautoritäten geschuldet, sondern ihm liegen sprachsystematische, kognitive und frequenzielle Faktoren zugrunde

Kombinatorik von Artikel, Ruf- und Familiennamen in Varietäten des Deutschen

In this paper, we analyse the varying serialization and morphosyntax of complex personal names in dialects of German from a grammatical and pragmatic perspective. In Standard German, Christian name followed by surname is the unmarked sequence, while in many dialects the reverse order is used. Moreover, different variants of the definite article and different linking elements co-occur systematically. We present four case studies from four dialect areas of German, compare the systems we found and deduce a diachronic scenario of their emergence