Synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference: evidence from historical German
The present article discusses the semantic and discourse-pragmatic properties of different competing types of indefinite noun phrases in Old High German, the earliest attested period of German. In particular, it investigates the behavior of indefinites marked by sum, ein and various interrogative-...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | deu |
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De Gruyter
2015-11-01
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| Series: | Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/zfs-2015-0011 |
| _version_ | 1818390377506275328 |
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| author | Petrova Svetlana |
| author_facet | Petrova Svetlana |
| author_sort | Petrova Svetlana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The present article discusses the semantic and discourse-pragmatic properties of different competing types of
indefinite noun phrases in Old High German, the earliest attested period of German. In particular, it investigates the
behavior of indefinites marked by sum, ein and various interrogative-based
determiners, with respect to properties considered constitutive of specific indefinites from a theoretic and
cross-linguistic perspective. Upon analyzing newly retrieved corpus data, the paper shows that already at the
beginning of the attestation, all marked types of indefinites in historical German violate basic conditions of
specificity, understood in terms of any of the relevant notions distinguished in the literature. This result rejects
previous scenarios according to which marked indefinites in historical German are correlates of specific reference
and challenges the explanation of the diachronic development of ein from a numeral towards an
indefinite determiner via an assumed separate, intermediate stage during which it assigns referential-specific
interpretation to the noun phrase. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:56:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-403bed08173846cfabadc14edafdd1d0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0721-9067 1613-3706 |
| language | deu |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:56:40Z |
| publishDate | 2015-11-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft |
| spelling | doaj.art-403bed08173846cfabadc14edafdd1d02022-12-21T23:16:20ZdeuDe GruyterZeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft0721-90671613-37062015-11-0134221324610.1515/zfs-2015-0011Synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference: evidence from historical GermanPetrova Svetlana0Universität WuppertalThe present article discusses the semantic and discourse-pragmatic properties of different competing types of indefinite noun phrases in Old High German, the earliest attested period of German. In particular, it investigates the behavior of indefinites marked by sum, ein and various interrogative-based determiners, with respect to properties considered constitutive of specific indefinites from a theoretic and cross-linguistic perspective. Upon analyzing newly retrieved corpus data, the paper shows that already at the beginning of the attestation, all marked types of indefinites in historical German violate basic conditions of specificity, understood in terms of any of the relevant notions distinguished in the literature. This result rejects previous scenarios according to which marked indefinites in historical German are correlates of specific reference and challenges the explanation of the diachronic development of ein from a numeral towards an indefinite determiner via an assumed separate, intermediate stage during which it assigns referential-specific interpretation to the noun phrase.https://doi.org/10.1515/zfs-2015-0011indefinite noun phrasesindefinite articlespecificityold and middle high german |
| spellingShingle | Petrova Svetlana Synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference: evidence from historical German Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft indefinite noun phrases indefinite article specificity old and middle high german |
| title | Synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference: evidence from
historical German |
| title_full | Synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference: evidence from
historical German |
| title_fullStr | Synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference: evidence from
historical German |
| title_full_unstemmed | Synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference: evidence from
historical German |
| title_short | Synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference: evidence from
historical German |
| title_sort | synchronic variation and diachronic change in the expression of indefinite reference evidence from historical german |
| topic | indefinite noun phrases indefinite article specificity old and middle high german |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/zfs-2015-0011 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT petrovasvetlana synchronicvariationanddiachronicchangeintheexpressionofindefinitereferenceevidencefromhistoricalgerman |