Publisher Description

The Germanic language family ranges from national languages with standardized varieties, including German, Dutch and Danish, to minority languages with relatively few speakers, such as Frisian, Yiddish and Pennsylvania German. Written by internationally renowned experts of Germanic linguistics, this Handbook provides a detailed overview and analysis of the structure of modern Germanic languages and dialects. Organized thematically, it addresses key topics in the phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of standard and nonstandard varieties of Germanic languages from a comparative perspective. It also includes chapters on second language acquisition, heritage and minority languages, pidgins, and urban vernaculars. The first comprehensive survey of this vast topic, the Handbook is a vital resource for students and researchers investigating the Germanic family of languages and dialects.

Author Biography

Michael T. Putnam is Associate Professor of German and Linguistics at Pennsylvania State University. B. Richard Page is Associate Professor of German and Linguistics at Pennsylvania State University.

Table of Contents

Introduction B. Richard Page and Michael T. Putnam; Part I. Phonology: 1. Phonological processes in Germanic languages Tracy A. Hall; 2. Germanic syllable structure Marc van Oostendorp; 3. The role of foot structure in Germanic Laura Catharine Smith; 4. Word-stress in Germanic Birgit Alber; 5. Quantity in Germanic languages B. Richard Page; 6. Germanic laryngeal phonetics and phonology Joseph C. Salmons; 7. Tone accent in North and West Germanic Björn Köhnlein; 8. Intonation in Germanic Mary Grantham O'Brien; Part II. Morphology and Agreement Systems: 9. Verbal inflectional morphology in Germanic David Fertig; 10. Inflectional morphology: nouns Damaris Nübling; 11. Principles of word formation Geert Booij; 12. Grammatical gender in modern Germanic languages Sebastian Kürschner; 13. Case in Germanic Tom McFadden; 14. Complementizer agreement Marjo van Koppen; Part III. Syntax: 15. VO/OV-base ordering Hubert Haider; 16. The placement of finite verbs Sten Vikner; 17. Germanic infinitives Susi Wurmbrand and Christos Christopoulos; 18. The unification of object shift and object scrambling Hans Broekhus; 19. Unbounded dependency constructions in Germanic Martin Salzmann; 20. The voice domain in Germanic Artemis Alexiadou and Florian Schäfer; 21. Binding: the morphology, syntax, and semantics of reflexive and non-reflexive pronouns Vera Lee-Schoenfeld; 22. Verbal particles, results, and directed motion Ida Toivonen; 23. Structure of noun (NP) and determiner phrases (DP) Dorian Roehrs; Part IV. Semantics and Pragmatics: 24. Modality in Germanic Kristin Melum Eide; 25. Tense and aspect in Germanic languages Kristin Melum Eide; 26. Prepositions and particles: place and path in English, German, and Dutch Joost Zwarts; 27. Negative and positive polarity items Doris Penka; 28. Grammatical reflexes of information structure in Germanic languages Caroline Féry; Part V. Language Contact and Non-Standard Varieties: 29. Second language acquisition in Germanic languages Carrie Jackson; 30. Urban speech styles of Germanic languages Pia Quist; 31. The West Germanic dialect continuum William D. Keel; 32. The North Germanic dialect continuum Charlotte Gooskens; 33. Heritage Germanic languages in North America Janne Bondi Johannessen and Michael T. Putnam; 34. Minority Germanic languages Mark L. Louden; 35. Germanic contact languages Paul T. Roberge.

Review

'This Handbook provides the reader with a well-informed, up-to-date and well-structured overview of Germanic linguistics, focussing on their structures on different levels, and on their multiple relationships with each other.' Richard Wiese, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
'The contributions from specialists yield an in-depth overview of the wealth of fascinating characteristics of the Germanic languages and the linguistic issues they offer for exploration. A must-read for every scholar and student of the Germanic languages!' Sarah Fagan, University of Iowa
'This volume collects and crystallizes up-to-date scientific knowledge throughout the field of Germanic linguistics, and makes it available to the whole community. As such, it is a major contribution to the consolidation of a common linguistic culture shared by scholars working on Germanic languages, and accessible to any linguist interested in gaining access to newer research on the family.' Pierre-Yves Modicom, LINGUIST List
'… The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics will be an invaluable resource for generations of students and scholars. I highly recommend this varied and rich volume to every professional in the field.' Nicoline van der Sijs, Canadian Journal of Netherlandic Studies
'… a fantastic resource for advanced graduate students and faculty in linguistics and Germanic studies alike.' Derek Drake, H-Net Reviews

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A comprehensive survey and analysis of the structure of modern Germanic languages and dialects.

Review Quote

This handbook provides the reader with a well-informed, up-to-date and well-structured overview of Germanic Linguistics, focussing on their structures on different levels, and on their multiple relationships with each other. Richard Wiese, Philipps-Universitt Marburg

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A comprehensive survey and analysis of the structure of modern Germanic languages and dialects.

Description for Bookstore

The first comprehensive overview of the structure of modern Germanic languages. Written by a team of internationally-renowned experts, it is a vital resource for students and researchers investigating the Germanic family of languages and dialects, covering key topics such as phonology, morphology, syntax, heritage and minority languages.

Description for Library

The first comprehensive overview of the structure of modern Germanic languages. Written by a team of internationally-renowned experts, it is a vital resource for students and researchers investigating the Germanic family of languages and dialects, covering key topics such as phonology, morphology, syntax, heritage and minority languages.

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