Rethinking syntactic boundaries in Old Norse

What if Old Norwegian syntax diverged from Old Icelandic earlier than previously assumed? Discover the hidden dynamics of Old Norwegian syntax in this groundbreaking volume that challenges the long-held view that Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic can, on a syntactic level, be treated uniformly under the broader term ‘Old Norse.’ Through detailed analyses of information structure and prosodic weight, this book reveals – among other findings – an early shift toward fixed VO word order in Old Norwegian, contrasting with Old Icelandic’s freer syntax. Drawing on thoroughly annotated Old Norwegian corpus data and comparative insights from other Germanic languages, this monograph offers new perspectives for scholars of historical linguistics and Scandinavian studies, as well as manuscript research.

Author Biography

Juliane Tiemann, Ph.D., University of Bergen, is a senior academic librarian and the academic director of Digital Development at the University of Bergen Library. Her research falls within the fields of historical linguistics, manuscript studies, and diplomatics, with a specialized focus on the analysis of medieval Norwegian written materials. Her recent publications include Modifying Variation: Adjective Position in Old Norwegian (Language Science Press, 2024).