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This book offers reconstructions of various syntactic properties of
Proto-Germanic, including verb position in main clauses, the syntax
of the wh-system, and the (non-)occurrence of null pronominal
subjects and objects. Although previous studies have looked at the
lexical and phonological reconstruction of Proto-Germanic, little
is currently known about the syntax of the language, and it has
even been argued that the reconstruction of syntax is impossible.
Dr Walkden uses extensive evidence from the early Germanic
languages - Old English, Old High German, Old Saxon, Old Norse, and
Gothic - to show that syntactic reconstruction is not only possible
but also profitable. He argues that while the reconstruction of
syntax differs from lexical-phonological reconstruction due to the
so-called 'correspondence problem', this is not insurmountable. In
fact, the approach taken in current Minimalist theories, in which
syntactic variation is attributed to the properties of lexical
items, opens the door for syntactic reconstruction as lexical
reconstruction. The book also discusses practical solutions for
circumventing the correspondence problem, in particular the use of
both distributional properties of lexical items and the
phonological forms of such items in order to establish cognacy. The
book will be of interest to historical linguists working on
syntactic reconstruction and the Germanic languages, from graduate
level upwards, as well as to advanced students of syntactic change
more generally.
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