"The book is a comprehensive corpus study of analogical developments in the nominal morphology of four Northern West Germanic languages: Old English, Old Frisian, Old Saxon and Old Low Franconian. It examines the patterns of reorganisation of the nominal paradigms, focusing on the analogical interdeclensional shifts of nouns affiliated with historical minor classes. The wide scope and comparative nature of the study facilitate identifying the major patterns of inflectional restructuring, both language-specific and those of a more general character, demonstrating that the process was far from random. By framing the investigated phenomena quantitatively, the study affords insight into the dynamics of the changes, their scope in individual languages, the mechanisms underlying the restructuring process and the factors conditioning it. The book may be of interest to both historical linguists who may appreciate its descriptive aspects as well as morphologists concerned with the mechanisms of morphological processes, especially analogy"--.

• Reshaping of the Nominal Inflection in Early Northern West Germanic
• Editorial page
• Title page
• LCC data
• Dedication page
• Table of contents
• Acknowledgments
• List of abbreviations
• List of tables
• List of figures
• Introduction
  • 0.1 General remarks
  • 0.2 Aims of the study
  • 0.3 Existing research
  • 0.4 Organisation of the book
• Chapter 1. Theory and methodology of the research
  • 1.1 Nominal system in Old Germanic languages
  • 1.2 Nominal paradigms in Old Germanic languages
  • 1.3 Morphological restructuring of the nominal system in early Germanic
    • 1.3.1 Introduction
    • 1.3.2 Interparadigmatic transfers
    • 1.3.3 Intraparadigmatic transfers
    • 1.3.4 Syncretism in nominal inflection in Old Germanic languages
  • 1.4 Theoretical framework
    • 1.4.1 Introduction
    • 1.4.2 Analogy
    • 1.4.3 Markedness
    • 1.4.4 Iconicity, uniformity and transparency of the paradigms
    • 1.4.5 Productivity and paradigm stability
    • 1.4.6 Factors conditioning the restructuring process
      • 1.4.6.1 Frequency effects in nominal morphology
      • 1.4.6.2 Salience of inflectional marking
      • 1.4.6.3 Other factors: gender, semantics, syllable structure
  • 1.5 Methodology of the research
    • 1.5.1 Terms and definitions
    • 1.5.2 The corpora: Characteristics and methodological considerations
    • 1.5.3 Scope of the study and procedures
• Chapter 2. Nominal inflection in Proto-Germanic
  • 2.1 Introduction
  • 2.2 Reorganisation of the nominal inflection in Proto-Germanic
    • 2.2.1 The Proto-Germanic nominal system: General characteristics
    • 2.2.2 Restructuring of the system: Tendencies and patterns
    • 2.2.3 Restructuring of the system: Minor declensional types
      • 2.2.3.1 i-stems
      • 2.2.3.2 u-stems
      • 2.2.3.3 Root nouns
      • 2.2.3.4 r-stems
      • 2.2.3.5 s-stems
      • 2.2.3.6 nd-stems
      • 2.2.3.7 þ-stems
    • 2.2.4 Interparadigmatic realignments in Proto-Germanic: A cross-declensional overview
      • nom. & acc. sg.
      • gen. & dat. sg.
      • nom. & acc. pl.
      • gen. & dat. pl.
    • 2.2.5 Discussion
      • Stage 1
      • Stage 2
      • Stage 3
  • 2.3 Conclusion
• Chapter 3. Nominal inflection in Old English
  • 3.1 Introduction
  • 3.2 Diatopic and diachronic dimension of the study
    • 3.2.1 Early and Late Old English
    • 3.2.2 Anglian and Saxon material
  • 3.3 Characteristics of the restructuring process in Old English
  • 3.4 Old English phonological developments in unstressed syllables
  • 3.5 Data analysis
    • 3.5.1 Corpus and methodological considerations
    • 3.5.2 i-stems
      • 3.5.2.1 General characteristics
      • 3.5.2.2 Restructuring of the i-stem paradigm
      • 3.5.2.3 Results of the investigation
    • 3.5.3 u-stems
      • 3.5.3.1 General remarks
      • 3.5.3.2 Results of the investigation
      • 3.5.3.3 An excursus on sunu
    • 3.5.4 Root nouns
      • 3.5.4.1 General characteristics
      • 3.5.4.2 Results of the investigation
    • 3.5.5 r-stems
      • 3.5.5.1 General characteristics
      • 3.5.5.2 Results of the investigation
    • 3.5.6 s-stems
      • 3.5.6.1 General characteristics
      • 3.5.6.2 Results of the investigation
      • 3.5.6.3 An excursus on Old English cild
    • 3.5.7 nd-stems
      • 3.5.7.1 General characteristics
      • 3.5.7.2 Results of the investigation
    • 3.5.8 Dental stems
  • 3.6 Summary of the results and overview of the tendencies
  • 3.7 Taxonomic implications of the study
  • 3.8 Conclusions
• Chapter 4. Nominal inflection in Old Frisian
  • 4.1 Introduction
  • 4.2 Corpus and methodological considerations
  • 4.3 Restructuring process in Old Frisian: Emerging patterns
  • 4.4 Old Frisian phonological developments and their morphological implications
  • 4.5 Data analysis
    • 4.5.1 Methodological considerations
    • 4.5.2 i-stems
      • 4.5.2.1 General characteristics
      • 4.5.2.2 Results of the investigation
      • 4.5.2.3 An excursus on the alternation in the singular paradigm of heavy-syllable feminine stems
    • 4.5.3 u-stems
      • 4.5.3.1 General characteristics
      • 4.5.3.2 Results of the investigation
    • 4.5.4 Root nouns
      • 4.5.4.1 General characteristics
      • 4.5.4.2 Results of the investigation
    • 4.5.5 r-stems
      • 4.5.5.1 General characteristics
      • 4.5.5.2 Results of the investigation
    • 4.5.6 s-stems
      • 4.5.6.1 General characteristics
      • 4.5.6.2 Results of the investigation
    • 4.5.7 nd-stems
      • 4.5.7.1 General characteristics
      • 4.5.7.2 Results of the investigation
    • 4.5.8 Dental stems
  • 4.6 Summary of the results and overview of the tendencies
  • 4.7 Taxonomic implications of the study
  • 4.8 Conclusions
• Chapter 5. Nominal inflection in Old Saxon
  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 The placement of Old Saxon in West Germanic
  • 5.3 Corpus and methodological considerations
  • 5.4 Restructuring process in Old Saxon: Patterns
  • 5.5 Phonological developments in unstressed syllables
  • 5.6 Data analysis
    • 5.6.1 Methodological considerations
    • 5.6.2 i-stems
      • 5.6.2.1 General characteristics
      • 5.6.2.2 Results of the investigation
    • 5.6.3 u-stems
      • 5.6.3.1 General characteristics
      • 5.6.3.2 Results of the investigation
      • 5.6.3.3 Excursus on the i-marker in the dat. sg. and nom. pl.
    • 5.6.4 Root nouns
      • 5.6.4.1 General characteristics
      • 5.6.4.2 Results of the investigation
    • 5.6.5 r-stems
      • 5.6.5.1 General characteristics
      • 5.6.5.2 Results of the investigation
    • 5.6.6 s-stems
      • 5.6.6.1 General characteristics
      • 5.6.6.2 Results of the investigation
    • 5.6.7 nd-stems
      • 5.6.7.1 General characteristics
      • 5.6.7.2 Results of the investigation
    • 5.6.8 Dental stems
  • 5.7 Summary of the results and overview of the tendencies
  • 5.8 Taxonomic implications of the study
  • 5.9 Conclusions
• Chapter 6. Nominal inflection in Old Low Franconian
  • 6.1 Introduction
  • 6.2 Corpus and methodological considerations
  • 6.3 Restructuring process in Old Low Franconian: Patterns
  • 6.4 Phonological developments in Old Low Franconian
  • 6.5 Data analysis
    • 6.5.1 Methodological considerations
    • 6.5.2 The status of the i-stems in Old Low Franconian
    • 6.5.3 u-stems
      • 6.5.3.1 An excursus on the dat. sg. and nom. pl.
    • 6.5.4 Root nouns
    • 6.5.5 r-stems
    • 6.5.6 s-stems
    • 6.5.7 nd-stems
    • 6.5.8 Dental stems
  • 6.6 Summary of the results and overview of the tendencies
  • 6.7 Taxonomic implications of the study
  • 6.8 Conclusions
• Chapter 7. Patterns of reorganisation of the nominal system in early Northern West Germanic: A comparative overview
  • 7.1 Introduction
  • 7.2 Overview of the tendencies
  • 7.3 Explaining the divergent development of the nominal inflection across Northern West Germanic
• Chapter 8. Mechanisms and dynamics of the restructuring process in West Germanic
  • 8.1 Introduction
  • 8.2 The course of restructuring: The prehistoric stage
  • 8.3 The historical stage of restructuring: Emerging patterns
  • 8.4 Framing the mechanisms of the process
  • 8.5 Functionality of the system
  • 8.6 Factors conditioning the restructuring process
    • 8.6.1 Frequency of occurrence
    • 8.6.2 Salience of inflectional markers
    • 8.6.3 Semantics
    • 8.6.4 Other controlling factors
      • 8.6.4.1 Gender
      • 8.6.4.2 Prosodic structure: stem weight
    • 8.6.5 Interactions between conditioning factors
  • 8.7 Implications for the taxonomy of nouns in early Northern West Germanic
  • 8.8 Concluding remarks
• Conclusions
• Appendix
  • Early transfers
  • Historical transfers Old English
  • Old frisian
  • Old Saxon
  • Old Low Franconian
• References
• Index