New Trends in Nordic and General Linguistics (Linguae & Litterae)

This book offers a survey of current work in Nordic and General Linguistics, with a special focus on language contact. The papers in this book were presented at the 11th International Conference of Nordic and General Linguistics (ICNGL) in Freiburg. The ICNGL conference series aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas on Scandinavian and other languages, between researchers from the Nordic countries and elsewhere. The present volume focuses on language contact, which has always been a topic of great interest in Nordic Linguistics. Additionally, the contributions in this book address issues of phonology, morpho-syntax, syntax, and grammaticalization. The book is meant to be a snapshot of Nordic Linguistics as it is practiced today, reflecting at the same time its established research traditions as well as its forages into new methodologies and theories. The linguae & litterae series, edited by Peter Auer, Gesa von Essen and Werner Frick, documents the research activities of the School of Language and Literature of the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies (FRIAS). These research activities in literary studies and linguistics are characterized by an approach that is theoretically and methodologically "state of the art" and interdisciplinarily open. In linguistics the accent is on the corpus-based, quantitative and qualitative investigation of language; in literary studies the focus is on the comparative, transdisciplinary analysis of literary phenomena in their cultural contexts. At the same time the series deals with the productive interfaces and synergies between modern linguistics and literary studies (as well as the humanities, social and natural sciences with which they interact). It seeks a new, contemporary reformulation of the humanities research curriculum and its problem and concept orientation for the future. The series has a clear international orientation - each volume is multilingual, containing German, English and French contributions and, depending on the volume, articles in Italian or Spanish as well. Each individual volume is peer reviewed by an international editorial board. Each year 2-4 volumes are published Contents Introducing new trends in Nordic linguistic research Section 1: Language contact Competing tendencies in Germanic pronominal and deictic systems: The most general principle will prevail “Pitch accent” and prosodic structure in Scottish Gaelic: Reassessing the role of contact Implications of language contact: Evaluating the appropriateness of borrowings in written Icelandic At the frontier: Sámi linguistics gets a boost from outside Section 2: Phonology Two phonological rarities in Ingrian dialects Analysing phonological variation in Faroese Section 3: Morphosyntax Mari converb constructions – Interpretation and translation Han and hon – Anaphoric pronouns in Early Scandinavia From accusative to dative (via nominative): The case of fjölga ‘increase’ and fækka ‘decrease’ in Icelandic Section 4: Syntax A generative interpretation of Diderichsen’s positional grammar Evidence for a syntactic Parameter at work in Övdalian Embedded word order in Heritage Scandinavian Section 5: Grammaticalization Through the spyglass of synchrony: Grammaticalization of the exterior space in the Eastern Circum-Baltic Conjunctive markers of polar questions in Estonian Index Edited By Martin Hilpert, Jan-ola Östman, Christine Mertzlufft, Michael Riessler, Janet Duke. The 11th International Conference Of Nordic And General Linguistics, Organized Under The Auspices Of The Nordic Association Of Linguists, Will Take Place At Freiburg University April 18th-20th, 2012. The Icngl Conference Series Provides An Open Forum For Linguistic Research In Order To Facilitate The Exchange Of Ideas On Scandinavian And Other Languages. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Text And Discussions In Languages Including Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, And English. This book offers a collection of papers that were presented at the 11th International Conference of Nordic and General Linguistics (ICNGL) in Freiburg. The ICNGL conference series provides an open forum for linguistic research in order to facilitate the exchange of ideas on Scandinavian and other languages, between researchers from the Nordic countries and elsewhere. The present volume has a special focus on language contact