Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Another Old Frisian 'Instrumental Singular' in -um?

  • Published:
Neophilologus Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Old Germanic displays some eleven instances of datives which formally seem to be plurals, although we would expect singular forms. It has long been clear that all instances may reflect a special use of the plural. In the present article, it is argued that this actually is the only possibility, because we cannot reconstruct a singular case form that would have yielded the forms concerned. The only Old Frisian example of the phenomenon under discussion would be melokon < *melukum in the First Riustring Codex (I, 44–5): ". . . thet lond thet flāt fon melokon and fon hunige", i.e. 'the land that overflowed from milk and honey'. It is argued that Codex Unia (Apographa p. 22v°) ". . . ther bi willa jefta bi dumhedum op hlapt, and thi mena fere thi[t] riocht verwint alle keran and alle pligan . . ." represents a second Old Frisian instance of such a dative plural with singular meaning.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ahlsson, L-E. Die Altfriesischen Abstraktbildungen. Uppsala, 1960.

  • Beekes, R. S. P. The origins of the Indo-European Nominal Inflection. Innsbruck, 1985.

  • Beekes, R. S. P. Vergelijkende taalwetenschap. Een inleiding in de vergelijkende Indoeuropese taalwetenschap. Aula Paperback 176. Utrecht, 1990.

  • Boutkan, D. The Germanic ‘Auslautgesetze'. Leiden Studies in Indo-European 4. Amsterdam — Atlanta, 1995.

  • Boutkan, D. A concise grammar of the Old Frisian dialect of the First Riustring Codex. Odense, 1996.

  • Boutkan, D. ‘The origin of mon.’ It Beaken 59 (1997), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braune, W. and Eggers, H. Althochdeutsche Grammatik. 14th. ed. Tübingen, 1987.

  • Breuker, Ph. H. ‘On the Course of Franciscus Junius' Germanic Studies, with Special Reference to Frisian.’ Aspects of Old Frisian Philology. Ed. R. H. Bremmer Jr., G. Van der Meer and O. Vries = Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 31/32 (1990) — Estrikken 69 (1990), 42–68.

  • Brouwer, J. Thet Autentica Riocht. Met inleiding, glossen, commentaar en woordenlijst. Assen, 1941.

  • Brugmann, K. and Delbrück, B. Grundriβ der vergleichenden Grammatik der indogermanischen Sprachen. Vergleichende Laut-, Stammbildungs-und Flexionslehre. II2. Straßburg (1911) [Unver. photomech. Nachdr. 1967.]

  • Buma, W. J. De Eerste Riustringer Codex. Bewerkt door-. Oudfriese Taal-en Rechtsbronnen. Uitgegeven door Dr. P. Sipma. Elfde deel. 's-Gravenhage, 1961.

  • Buma 1963, cf. Gerbenzon et al. 1963.

  • Campbell, A. Old English Grammar. Oxford, 1959.

  • Gerbenzon, P. et al. Fryske stikken út Codex Furmerius. I. Estrikken XXXIII, 1963 [wherein: ‘III. De iure (Haet is riocht) (fol. 31r–32r)’ biwurke fan Buma, W. J., 27–56].

  • Gerbenzon, P. et al. ‘Bijdrage tot het bronnenonderzoek van Haet is Riocht.’ Us wurk 20nr. 1/2 (1971), 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helten, W. L. van Altostfriesische Grammatik. Leeuwarden, 1890.

  • Helten, W. L. van Zur Lexicologie des Altostfriesischen. Verhandelingen KAW, tweede reeks, 9, afd. Letterk. Amsterdam, 1907.

  • Heuser, W. Altfriesisches Lesebuch. Heidelberg, 1903.

  • Kluge, F. Vorgeschichte der altgermanischen Dialekte. In: Paul, H. (ed.): Grundriss der germanischen Philologie I. 2nd. ed. Strassburg, 1901, 320–496.

  • Kluge, F. Urgermanisch. Vorgeschichte der altgermanischen Dialekte. 3rd. ed. Grundriss der germanischen Philologie begr. von Hermann Paul, vol. 2. Strassburg, 1913.

  • Loon, J. van. Endogene factoren in de diachrone morfologie van de Germaanse talen. Werken van de Koninklijke Commissie voor Toponymie en Dialectologie — Vlaamse Afdeling. Tongeren, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matasović, R. ‘Old Irish Dative Singular of Neuter N-Stems.’ Studia Celtica Japonica 8 (1996), 59–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osthoff, H. ‘Gab es einen Instr. Sing. auf-mi im Germanischen?’ Indogermanische Forschungen 20 (1906/7), 163–218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paul 1901, cf. Kluge 1901.

  • Siebs, Th. Westfriesische Studien. Abhandlungen der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. Berlin, 1895.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sievers, E. Angelsächsische Grammatik. 3rd. ed. Halle, 1921.

  • Stang, C. S. Vergleichende Grammatik der baltischen Sprachen. Oslo, 1966.

  • Streitberg, W. Urgermanische Grammatik. Einführung in das vergleichende Studium der altgermanischen Dialekte. repr. 4th ed. [1963]. Germanische Bibliothek, I. Reihe, Sprachwissenschaftliche Lehr-und Elementarbücher. Heidelberg (orig.) 1896.

  • Thurneysen, R. A Grammar of Old Irish. Dublin, 1946.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vakgroep VTW, Universiteit Leiden, P.O. Box 9515, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Dirk Boutkan

Authors
  1. Dirk Boutkan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Boutkan, D. Another Old Frisian 'Instrumental Singular' in -um?. Neophilologus 83, 421–426 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004577917823

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004577917823

Keywords

Search

Navigation