Quantity in Icelandic : a historical and comparative study
Chapter I: Doubts are expressed concerning some assumptions lying behind much recent work in phonology, abstractness of phonological representations, extrinsic rule ordering and universal phonological features. A brief summary is given of the phonological system of Modern Icelandic. Chapter II: A ru...
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University of Edinburgh
1977
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| Online Access: | http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.641075 |
| Summary: | Chapter I: Doubts are expressed concerning some assumptions lying behind much recent work in phonology, abstractness of phonological representations, extrinsic rule ordering and universal phonological features. A brief summary is given of the phonological system of Modern Icelandic. Chapter II: A rule is proposed for accounting for length of vowels in Modern Icelandic defined in terms of syllabification, dependent on stress. Some general points concerning the status of the syllable in phonology are made. Chapter III: A survey of the development of quantity in Germanic languages other than Icelandic. Chanter IV: A detailed study of the development of quantity in Icelandic. Metrics of older Icelandic poetry is studied and its value as evidence concerning prosodic development is assessed. Theoretical issues such as the possibility of teleological elements in linguistic changes, the concepts of explanation and cause in historical linguistics are discussed. Chapter V: The problem of phonological function of length in sound systems is adressed and some points of general nature are made. The Icelandic data is then reviewed in the light of these considerations. |
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