Unique grammatical constructions exist that are found in only one Germanic language.
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
refutedsupported
the weight of evidence
1 source for · 1 against
AS REPORTEDno primary record reached; this is what the reporting says
Linguistic source material points to unique constructions appearing in specific individual Germanic varieties, such as cross-serial dependencies in Swiss German and the si-passive in Gutnish.
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# The Gutnish si-passive
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 February 2024
Erik M. Petzell https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8932-131X
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Article contents
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Geographical distribution of the si-passive
- The Gutnish corpus: Jakob Karlsson’s letters
- Passives and participles in Gutnish
- Jakob Karlsson’s use of the si-passive
- Si in syntax
- The birth of the si-passive
- Conclusions
- Competing interests
- Sources
- Footnotes
- References
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## Abstract
The Gutnish-specific si-passive combines be or become with a participle, directly followed by the element si. Unlike regular periphrastic passives, si-passives focus on the process rather than the result, opening up the construction fo
... only one possible outcome of reanalysis. Unfortunately the serial verb reanalysis theory is inapplicable in the case of the Germanic languages as they never developed serial verb constructions. Li and Thompson note that the collapsing ...
First published in 1983, The Development of Word Order Patterns in Old English tests theories of word order change using data on change in Old English. This data is drawn from various sources, the primary one being the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and from the work of other scholars in Old English and historical linguistics. After an introductory chapter, background information on word order typology, theories of word order change, and on research on the order of Proto-Indo-European and the Germanic languages is presented. The core of the author’s own analysis reveals that the data does not conform to the predictions of various theories of word order and thus challenges many accepted views on the stages English has passed through on its way to Subject-Verb-Complement order. It is the ideas of li