ABOUT THIS BOOK

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.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Hans Frede Nielsen is Associate Professor of English, Odense University, Denmark. He is the author of three books on Germanic and English historical linguistics.

REVIEWS

"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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

1. Present-day extension

2. Earliest attestation

3. The early runic language

1. Indo-European

2. The position of Germanic within Indo-European

3. Linguistic features characteristic of Germanic

III. Germanic Tribal Movements

1. The Goths

2. The Upper and Central German tribes

3. The Anglo-Saxons

1. Early attempts at Germanic dialect grouping

2. Wrede, Maurer and the West Germanic problem

3. Schwarz and his critics

4. Recent attempts at Germanic dialect grouping

1. Stammbaum theory, wave theory and substratum theory

2. Dialect geography

3. Parallels (partly) attributable to other factors

4. Closing remarks

References

Index