First Grammatical Treatise
Encyclopedia
The First Grammatical Treatise is a 12th-century work on the phonology
of the Old Norse
or Old Icelandic language. It was given this name because it is the first of four grammatical works bound in the Icelandic manuscript Codex Wormianus. The anonymous author is today often referred to as the "First Grammarian".
The First Grammatical Treatise was of great interest to some mid-20th century linguists, since it systematically used the technique of minimal pair
s to establish the inventory of distinctive sounds or phoneme
s in the Icelandic language, in a manner reminiscent of the methods of structural linguistics
. It is also notable for revealing the existence of a whole series of nasal vowel phonemes, whose presence in the Icelandic language of the time would otherwise be unknown.
, in the tradition of Latin and Greek grammatical treatises, generally dated to the mid-12th century. Hreinn Benediktsson was not able to narrow the time of writing more precisely than to 1125–1175.
The Treatise is important for the study of Old Norse, as it is a major text showing the state of the language just prior to the writing of the Icelandic Sagas. It also provides a comprehensive study of the pronunciation of the language, to the extent that it created an Icelandic alphabet
derived from the Latin, and more adapted to writing on paper or parchment than the older, epigraphic Runic alphabet
that was made for shorter carvings on wood or stone. (Other writings in the Latin alphabet presumably existed in the form of law books and Christian writings. The educated clergy of the time would not have used runes.) This alphabet included þ (derived straight from the runes) and ð
, as well as diacritic indication of vowel length
, and an o with an ogonek
(at the time an independent phoneme, but by now merged with Ö). The First Grammarian's entire system was never adopted, as evidenced in later manuscripts, in some cases not much younger, but it has had an influence on Icelandic writing ever since (see above). See Icelandic alphabet
.
Raddarstafir (Vowels):
Samhljóðendr (Consonants):
Samsettar (Letters for composite sounds):
Other:
Phonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
of the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
or Old Icelandic language. It was given this name because it is the first of four grammatical works bound in the Icelandic manuscript Codex Wormianus. The anonymous author is today often referred to as the "First Grammarian".
The First Grammatical Treatise was of great interest to some mid-20th century linguists, since it systematically used the technique of minimal pair
Minimal pair
In phonology, minimal pairs are pairs of words or phrases in a particular language, which differ in only one phonological element, such as a phone, phoneme, toneme or chroneme and have distinct meanings...
s to establish the inventory of distinctive sounds or phoneme
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
s in the Icelandic language, in a manner reminiscent of the methods of structural linguistics
Structuralism
Structuralism originated in the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure and the subsequent Prague and Moscow schools of linguistics. Just as structural linguistics was facing serious challenges from the likes of Noam Chomsky and thus fading in importance in linguistics, structuralism...
. It is also notable for revealing the existence of a whole series of nasal vowel phonemes, whose presence in the Icelandic language of the time would otherwise be unknown.
Significance
This work is one of the earliest written works in Icelandic (and in any North Germanic language). It is a linguistic work dealing with Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
, in the tradition of Latin and Greek grammatical treatises, generally dated to the mid-12th century. Hreinn Benediktsson was not able to narrow the time of writing more precisely than to 1125–1175.
The Treatise is important for the study of Old Norse, as it is a major text showing the state of the language just prior to the writing of the Icelandic Sagas. It also provides a comprehensive study of the pronunciation of the language, to the extent that it created an Icelandic alphabet
Icelandic alphabet
The modern Icelandic alphabet consists of the following 32 letters:It is a Latin alphabet with diacritics, in addition it includes the character eth Ðð and the runic letter thorn Þþ...
derived from the Latin, and more adapted to writing on paper or parchment than the older, epigraphic Runic alphabet
Runic alphabet
The runic alphabets are a set of related alphabets using letters known as runes to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialized purposes thereafter...
that was made for shorter carvings on wood or stone. (Other writings in the Latin alphabet presumably existed in the form of law books and Christian writings. The educated clergy of the time would not have used runes.) This alphabet included þ (derived straight from the runes) and ð
Ð
A Latin capital letter D with a stroke through its vertical bar is the uppercase form of several different letters:*D with stroke , used in Vietnamese, some South Slavic , Moro and Sami languages...
, as well as diacritic indication of vowel length
Vowel length
In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. Often the chroneme, or the "longness", acts like a consonant, and may etymologically be one, such as in Australian English. While not distinctive in most dialects of English, vowel length is an important phonemic factor in...
, and an o with an ogonek
Ogonek
The ogonek is a diacritic hook placed under the lower right corner of a vowel in the Latin alphabet used in several European and Native American languages.-Use:...
(at the time an independent phoneme, but by now merged with Ö). The First Grammarian's entire system was never adopted, as evidenced in later manuscripts, in some cases not much younger, but it has had an influence on Icelandic writing ever since (see above). See Icelandic alphabet
Icelandic alphabet
The modern Icelandic alphabet consists of the following 32 letters:It is a Latin alphabet with diacritics, in addition it includes the character eth Ðð and the runic letter thorn Þþ...
.
Alphabet
Long vowels are marked with an acute, e.g. á. For the nasals, this replaces the dot.First Grammatical Treatise: "far, fár; rȧmr, rámr" Small capitals denote a geminate consonant. Ǥ, named eng, denotes /ŋɡ/.Raddarstafir (Vowels):
Samhljóðendr (Consonants):
Samsettar (Letters for composite sounds):
Other:
The author
The author is unknown, and is usually referred to as "The First Grammarian". Various identities have been hypothesized. One probable candidate is Hallr Teitsson (born ca. 1085, died 1130). Þóroddr Gamlason has also been suggested.Editions
- First Grammatical Treatise: The Earliest Germanic Phonology. An Edition, Translation, and Commentary by Einar HaugenEinar HaugenEinar Ingvald Haugen was an American linguist, author and Professor at University of Wisconsin–Madison and Harvard University.-Biography:Haugen was born in Sioux City, Iowa to Norwegians from the town of Oppdal in Norway. When he was a young child, the family moved back to Oppdal for a few years,...
(1st. edition 1950, 2nd. edition 1972). - The First Grammatical Treatise: Introduction, Text, Notes, Translation, Vocabulary, Facsimiles, ed. by Hreinn Benediktsson, University of Iceland Publications in Linguistics Vol. 1, 1972.
External links
- MeNoTA – Førsta Grammatiska Avhandlingen – Facsimile reproduction from Codex Wormianus
- The Grammatical Treatises at Skaldic Project
- Digital reproduction at Old Norse etexts.
- Digital reproduction at Íslenska Málfræðifélagið, Málvísindastofnun Háskóla Íslands; Small-capitals rendered as capitals.