Word Order and Discourse Structure in the Early Modern Period

本研究以新高德语早期的语序现象为研究对象，对这一时期德语小句句法的现有观点提出了挑战：无论是从句与从句的形式区分，还是从句左边缘的形成，都不能反映现代德语的情况。该项目聚焦于15世纪和16世纪的叙事，将提供充分的经验证据，证明在新高地德语早期的历史记录中观察到的差异是系统性的，既不能被简化为语言接触的随机实例，也不能被简化为以前生产模式的遗迹。基于一个全面的语料库，本文将论证不同的语篇结构维度，如给予或焦点与背景，对新高中德语早期叙事中的语序模式有很大的影响。研究假说得到了语言外部语境的有力支持：根据文学研究，中世纪到近代早期的转折是以一种新型的讲故事方式的兴起为特征的，以小说的形式利用德语的手段。

The present project is concerned with word order phenomena in Early New High German, challenging current views on the clausal syntax in this period of German: Neither the formal distinction between main clauses and subordinate clauses nor the the shaping of the clausal left periphery reflect the Modern German situation. Focussing on narratives from the 15th and 16th century, the project will provide ample empirical evidence that the observed discrepancies in the historical record of Early New High German are of a systematic nature and cannot be reduced either to random instances of language contact or relics of formerly productive patterns. Based on a comprehensive data base, it will be argued that different dimensions of discourse structure such as givenness or focus vs. background have a strong impact on word order patterns in narratives from Early New High German. The research hypothesis is strongly supported by the language external context: According to literary studies, the turn of the Middle Ages to the Early Modern Period is characterized by the rise of a new type of storytelling, exploiting the means of the German language in the form of a novel.