The Germanic Languages
192 pages, 6 x 9
Paperback
Release Date:30 Mar 1989
ISBN:9780817304232
The Germanic Languages
Origins and Early Dialectal Interrelations
University of Alabama Press
A revised and translated version of De germanske sprog. Baggrund og gruppe'ring (Odense University Press, 1979), which has been out of print for several years
The book is especially concerned with the grouping of the Germanic languages: with the research history of this much-debated question and with a discussion of the methods applied to past attempts and indeed applicable to future research in the field.
The book is especially concerned with the grouping of the Germanic languages: with the research history of this much-debated question and with a discussion of the methods applied to past attempts and indeed applicable to future research in the field.
A definite need [existed] for an up-to-date overall treatment of the early stages of the Germanic languages, including their mutual interrelationships and the relationship to the larger Indo-European language family, that could function as a basic text in an introductory course in Germanic linguistics and as a handy reference and refresher not only for more advanced students but also for linguists outside the field of Germanic who need a basic orientation. Now, I am happy to say, we have this work in English for all the world to read.'--Diachronica
The Germanic Languages' may easily be read by scholars with limited knowledge of Germanic philology. It provides a solid introduction to the debate generated by attempts at classification. In addition, it contains an extensive bibliography of related works and pays considerable attention to necessary background information.'--Language
Nielsen's comprehensive survey of theories of dialect and language change. from scholarship in several languages, makes this book a very useful tool for the study of dialect and of Germanic languages.'--The SECOL Review
Hans Frede Nielsen is Associate Professor of English, Odense University, Denmark. He is the author of three books on Germanic and English historical linguistics.
