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Cliticization of definite articles to prepositions in Middle High German – early stages of grammaticalization?

A qualitative study

Abstract

The subject of this contribution is clitic forms of preposition and definite article in Middle High German (AD 1050–1350). Given the fact that some of these contractions (e.g. am, im, ins, zum, zur) have, in varying degrees, undergone grammaticalization and have been integrated into the system of definiteness markers in contemporary Standard German (Er fliegt zum Mond vs. *Er fliegt zu dem Mond), it seems likely that the documented instances of such Preposition Definite Article Clitics (PDCs) in MHG constitute an early stage of grammaticalization. This contribution addresses this question by means of a qualitative empirical approach, using the korpus der mittelhochdeutschen grammatik. The results show that the MHG forms anticipate the later stage of the development in modern German.

Abstract

The subject of this contribution is clitic forms of preposition and definite article in Middle High German (AD 1050–1350). Given the fact that some of these contractions (e.g. am, im, ins, zum, zur) have, in varying degrees, undergone grammaticalization and have been integrated into the system of definiteness markers in contemporary Standard German (Er fliegt zum Mond vs. *Er fliegt zu dem Mond), it seems likely that the documented instances of such Preposition Definite Article Clitics (PDCs) in MHG constitute an early stage of grammaticalization. This contribution addresses this question by means of a qualitative empirical approach, using the korpus der mittelhochdeutschen grammatik. The results show that the MHG forms anticipate the later stage of the development in modern German.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Section I. “From pragmatic to semantic definiteness”
  5. A complex grammaticalization scenario for the definite article 17
  6. The grammaticalization of the definite article in German 43
  7. What genericity reveals about the establishment of the definite determiner in German 75
  8. Section II. “Syntactic contexts, cognition and grammaticalization”
  9. The role of the definite article in the rise of the German Framing Principle 97
  10. Cliticization of definite articles to prepositions in Middle High German – early stages of grammaticalization? 129
  11. Absence as evidence 161
  12. Section III. “From definite into onymic article – and finally onymic classifier”
  13. The rise of the onymic article in Early New High German 199
  14. Die Capital – der Astra – das Adler 227
  15. Index 251
Walking on the Grammaticalization Path of the Definite Article
This chapter is in the book Walking on the Grammaticalization Path of the Definite Article
https://doi.org/10.1075/silv.23.05wal

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Section I. “From pragmatic to semantic definiteness”
  5. A complex grammaticalization scenario for the definite article 17
  6. The grammaticalization of the definite article in German 43
  7. What genericity reveals about the establishment of the definite determiner in German 75
  8. Section II. “Syntactic contexts, cognition and grammaticalization”
  9. The role of the definite article in the rise of the German Framing Principle 97
  10. Cliticization of definite articles to prepositions in Middle High German – early stages of grammaticalization? 129
  11. Absence as evidence 161
  12. Section III. “From definite into onymic article – and finally onymic classifier”
  13. The rise of the onymic article in Early New High German 199
  14. Die Capital – der Astra – das Adler 227
  15. Index 251
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