From regularity to anomaly

Viac o knihe

This book discusses the removal of i-umlaut alternations from the inflectional system of Middle English. After presenting the scope and nature of the process in Germanic languages, it offers a detailed investigation into its lexicalisation in main dialects of Middle English. The observed developments are viewed as an interplay of four main factors: the degree of optimal patterning, type frequency, language contact and paradigmatic pressure.