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Article published In: NOWELE
Vol. 77:2 (2024) ► pp.168–194

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On the periodisation of early North Germanic

ORCiD logo with link | Independent scholar
Published online: 3 December 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/nowele.00089.sch
Abstract
This article welcomes the recent proposal of 2024. Stationen der frühen nordgermanischen Sprachgeschichte: Zu einer neuen Periodisierung des Urnordischen. NOWELE 77(1). 49–80. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar for a periodisation of early North Germanic, while pointing out problematic premises and criteria for the delimitation of the proposed subperiods. It is argued that in delimiting linguistic periods there is more to gain than lose for the clarity of scholarly argument if preference is given to linguistic rather than graphemic or socio-cultural criteria, even if it means that reconstructed, rather than ambiguously attested features, are given preference. The relevant chapter of a recent book by Goering, N. 2023. Prosody in Medieval English and Norse. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar is also reviewed to cast light on the syncope era. Elements and insights are proposed for a periodisation and labelling of early North Germanic suited for discussion on diachronic structural change.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The problem and its background
    • 2.1The Viking era from the eighth/ninth century with the medieval era til 1350
    • 2.2The post-Roman era; from the fall of Rome to the eighth/ninth century
    • 2.3The Roman era: From the appearance of runes in Scandinavia to the fall of Rome
  • 3.The recent contribution to periodisation by Michael Schulte
    • 3.1Appraising Schulte (2024)
    • 3.2Observations on Goering (2023) and the syncope era
  • 4.Reflections and proposals on periodisation and labelling of early North Germanic language
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (58)
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