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Chapter 12. The Gothic perfective constructions in contrast to West Germanic

  • Michail L. Kotin
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Perfects in Indo-European Languages and Beyond
This chapter is in the book Perfects in Indo-European Languages and Beyond

Abstract

The paper deals with selected questions of ‘perfectivity’ as both aspect and tense function in Gothic in comparison with old and contemporary West Germanic languages. Perfectivity is treated as a functional category which originated in verbal aspect, but which has been re-analysed in many languages which have lost aspect as a grammatically marked opposition. In old East Germanic (Gothic), the prefix ga- originally marking terminative aktionsart was grammaticalised as the marker of perfective aspect. This is still reflected in Gothic, but lost in West Germanic. Hence, the development of perfectivity in Old Germanic is connected with the development of perfective aspect. However, in old West Germanic languages comparable prefixed compounds have already lost their aspect-marking function and could be used as general semantic modifiers of related simplex verbs. Beside the perfective-marking prefix, perfectivity also could be encoded by means of periphrastic forms, which gradually developed from aspect to tense function, so that in contemporary West Germanic languages aspectual (perfective) readings of periphrastic constructions are extremely peripheral.

Abstract

The paper deals with selected questions of ‘perfectivity’ as both aspect and tense function in Gothic in comparison with old and contemporary West Germanic languages. Perfectivity is treated as a functional category which originated in verbal aspect, but which has been re-analysed in many languages which have lost aspect as a grammatically marked opposition. In old East Germanic (Gothic), the prefix ga- originally marking terminative aktionsart was grammaticalised as the marker of perfective aspect. This is still reflected in Gothic, but lost in West Germanic. Hence, the development of perfectivity in Old Germanic is connected with the development of perfective aspect. However, in old West Germanic languages comparable prefixed compounds have already lost their aspect-marking function and could be used as general semantic modifiers of related simplex verbs. Beside the perfective-marking prefix, perfectivity also could be encoded by means of periphrastic forms, which gradually developed from aspect to tense function, so that in contemporary West Germanic languages aspectual (perfective) readings of periphrastic constructions are extremely peripheral.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Editors’ foreword vii
  4. Abbreviations xi
  5. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  6. Chapter 2. The development of the perfect within IE verbal systems 15
  7. Chapter 3. Celtic past tenses past and present 49
  8. Chapter 4. The development of the perfect in selected Middle and New Germanic languages 95
  9. Chapter 5. Perfects in Baltic and Slavic 123
  10. Chapter 6. Paradigmatisation of the perfect and resultative in Tocharian 215
  11. Chapter 7. The synthetic perfect from Indo-Iranian to Late Vedic 245
  12. Chapter 8. The perfect in Middle and New Iranian languages 279
  13. Chapter 9. The perfect in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic 311
  14. Chapter 10. The perfect in Classical Armenian 351
  15. Chapter 11. The Hittite periphrastic perfect 377
  16. Chapter 12. The Gothic perfective constructions in contrast to West Germanic 411
  17. Chapter 13. The perfect system in Ancient Greek 435
  18. Chapter 14. The perfect in Medieval and Modern Greek 483
  19. Chapter 15. The perfect system of Old Albanian (Geg variety) 505
  20. Chapter 16. The perfect system in Latin 549
  21. Chapter 17. Calquing a quirk 591
  22. Chapter 18. The perfect in context in texts in English, Sistani Balochi and New Testament Greek 615
  23. Chapter 19. Indo-European perfects in typological perspective 635
  24. Language Index 669
  25. Subject Index 675
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.352.12kot

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Editors’ foreword vii
  4. Abbreviations xi
  5. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  6. Chapter 2. The development of the perfect within IE verbal systems 15
  7. Chapter 3. Celtic past tenses past and present 49
  8. Chapter 4. The development of the perfect in selected Middle and New Germanic languages 95
  9. Chapter 5. Perfects in Baltic and Slavic 123
  10. Chapter 6. Paradigmatisation of the perfect and resultative in Tocharian 215
  11. Chapter 7. The synthetic perfect from Indo-Iranian to Late Vedic 245
  12. Chapter 8. The perfect in Middle and New Iranian languages 279
  13. Chapter 9. The perfect in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic 311
  14. Chapter 10. The perfect in Classical Armenian 351
  15. Chapter 11. The Hittite periphrastic perfect 377
  16. Chapter 12. The Gothic perfective constructions in contrast to West Germanic 411
  17. Chapter 13. The perfect system in Ancient Greek 435
  18. Chapter 14. The perfect in Medieval and Modern Greek 483
  19. Chapter 15. The perfect system of Old Albanian (Geg variety) 505
  20. Chapter 16. The perfect system in Latin 549
  21. Chapter 17. Calquing a quirk 591
  22. Chapter 18. The perfect in context in texts in English, Sistani Balochi and New Testament Greek 615
  23. Chapter 19. Indo-European perfects in typological perspective 635
  24. Language Index 669
  25. Subject Index 675
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