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In:Varieties of German in Contact Settings: Studies in honor of William D. Keel
Edited by B. Richard Page and Michael T. Putnam
[Studies in Germanic Linguistics 10] 2025
► pp. 185–206

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Chapter 9
Language contact and relative clause formation

The case of wenn and lež in Zarzer German

 | The Pennsylvania State University
Published online: 27 November 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/sigl.10.09ho
Abstract
This contribution traces the development of relative clause marking strategies in Zarzer German, a Sprachinsel variety of Sorica, Slovenia. The peculiarities of relative clause marking in this variety set it apart from both German and Slovenian, with which it has been in close contact for hundreds of years. Unlike these languages, Zarzer German allows for caseless relative clause marking for all relativizable positions on the Accessibility Hierarchy. This state of affairs reflects a combination of maintained linguistic archaism, language contact (analogy), and independent developments in the dialect, the result of which is an otherwise unattested constellation of typologically unexpected forms.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical framework
  • 3.Zarzer German data
  • 4.Typological context
  • 5.Origins of these forms
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (30)
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