Language Contact and the Origins of the Germanic Languages

Peter Schrijver

ISBN 10: 1138245372 / ISBN 13: 9781138245372

Published by Routledge, 2016

About this Item

Language Contact and the Origins of the Germanic Languages | Peter Schrijver | Taschenbuch | Einband - flex.(Paperback) | Englisch | 2016 | Routledge | EAN 9781138245372 | Verantwortliche Person für die EU: Libri GmbH, Europaallee 1, 36244 Bad Hersfeld, gpsr[at]libri[dot]de | Anbieter: preigu.

Seller Inventory # 121198308

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Language Contact and the Origins of the Germanic Languages
• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1138245372
• ISBN 13: 9781138245372
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 229W x 152H x 14D millimeters 229 millimeters width by 152 millimeters height by 14 millimeters depth
• Weight: 360 grams
• Seller catalogs:
  • Bücher

About this title

Synopsis

History, archaeology, and human evolutionary genetics provide us with an increasingly detailed view of the origins and development of the peoples that live in Northwestern Europe. This book aims to restore the key position of historical linguistics in this debate by treating the history of the Germanic languages as a history of its speakers. It focuses on the role that language contact has played in creating the Germanic languages, between the first millennium BC and the crucially important early medieval period. Chapters on the origins of English, German, Dutch, and the Germanic language family as a whole illustrate how the history of the sounds of these languages provide a key that unlocks the secret of their genesis: speakers of Latin, Celtic and Balto-Finnic switched to speaking Germanic and in the process introduced a 'foreign accent' that caught on and spread at the expense of types of Germanic that were not affected by foreign influence. The book is aimed at linguists, historians, archaeologists and anyone who is interested in what languages can tell us about the origins of their speakers.

About the Author

Peter Schrijver is Professor of Celtic Languages and Culture at the University of Utrecht. He is a historical linguist working on ancient and medieval languages in Europe. His publications include Studies in British Celtic Historical Phonology and Celtic Influence in Old English.