Printed Book
Ovansiljanmålens syntax och morfologi
Source system: Publicera | Published: 2026-03-07 | Pages: 35-105
Abstract
AbstractIn this paper, we investigate thirteen syntactic and two morphological features of the seven vernaculars of Ovansiljan: the vernacular of Älvdalen, Våmhus, Mora, Sollerön, Orsa, Ore, and Venjan. The study combines previous research with newly collected data from fieldwork and acceptability studies conducted in 2010, 2024, and 2025, meaning the study offers the most comprehensive comparative overview of Ovansiljan morphosyntax to date. The findings show that several varieties preserve archaic syntactic properties such as verbal inflection in number and person, remnants of an earlier three-case system, the possibility of V-to-I movement, and traces of stylistic fronting, while also exhibiting syntactic innovations, such as subject doubling, negative concord, and extended use of definite noun forms. At the same time, considerable variation and ongoing change is found in the vernaculars, particularly among younger speakers. Although the vernacular of Älvdalen remains the most thoroughly studied and is one of the structurally most conservative varieties, the study demonstrates that it shares more similarities than differences with the other vernaculars. Thus, the seven vernaculars may be viewed as forming a dialect continuum. By relating the findings to theoretical models of syntax–morphology interaction (including the Rich Agreement Hypothesis and the Split-IP hypothesis), the article refines previous assumptions about the relationship between inflectional morphology and syntactic structure. The article offers both novel empirical evidence and theoretical insight into a previously under-documented area of Scandinavian dialect syntax.
Keywords
the vernaculars of Ovansiljan; Scandinavian syntax; Scandinavian morphology; morphology-driven syntax; split-IP hypothesis; rich agreement hypothesis; V-to-I movement; negative concord; morphological case; verbal morphology
