Product Description

Germanic - one of the largest sub-groups of the Indo-European language family - comprises 37 languages with an estimated 470 million speakers worldwide. This book presents a comparative linguistic survey of the full range of Germanic languages, both ancient and modern, including major world languages such as English and German (West Germanic), the Scandinavian (North Germanic) languages, and the extinct East Germanic languages. Unlike previous studies, it does not take a chronological or a language-by-language approach, organized instead around linguistic constructions and subsystems. Considering dialects alongside standard varieties, it provides a detailed account of topics such as case, word formation, sound systems, vowel length, syllable structure, the noun phrase, the verb phrase, the expression of tense and mood, and the syntax of the clause. Authoritative and comprehensive, this much-needed survey will be welcomed by scholars and students of the Germanic languages, as well as linguists across the many branches of the field.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #426287 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 522 pages

Review
"The organization of natural language data provided makes this book an easily accessible resource for language learners and instructors. This work should receive a high volume of readership and will be frequently consulted, as it is a thorough treatment of the structure of Germanic languages past and present." --Michael T. Putnam, Carson-Newman College

About the Author
Wayne Harbet is Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Linguistics, Cornell University.

Customer Reviews

Good volume on comparative Germanic linguistics
This volume is well suited for the graduate student, especially PhD candidates in Germanic Linguistics. As promised by the publisher's description of the text, the strengths of this book lie in comparing structures within the range of Germanic languages and pointing out differences and similarities between them. It is NOT meant as an introduction to Germanic linguistics. Overall, a well written text though somewhat scientific in its descriptions.