The metre of Beowulf : a constraint-based approach / by Michael Getty.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Getty, Michael, 1969-

Series:

Topics in English linguistics ; 36.

Topics in English linguistics ; 36

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Beowulf--Versification.

Beowulf.

Versification.

English language--Old English, ca. 450-1100--Versification.

English language.

English language--Old English--Versification.

English language--Old English, ca. 450-1100--Rhythm.

English language--Old English--Rhythm.

English language--Old English.

Physical Description:

x, 368 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; New York : Mouton de Gruyter, 2002.

Contents:

1.2. Phonological and metrical structures 6

1.2.2. Optimality Theory 15

1.2.3. Optimality-Theoretic constraints and poetic metre 20

1.3. Sieversian approaches to Old English alliterative metre 23

1.3.1. Sievers (1893) 23

1.3.2. Kuhn (1933) 33

1.3.3. Bliss (1958) 37

1.3.4. The Word-Foot Theory of Russom (1987) 48

1.4. The case for finite verb stress 52

1.4.1. Rieger, Wackernagel, and Kuhn 53

1.4.2. Deriving the prosodic status of finite verbs from metrical placement 61

1.4.2.1. Alliterating verbs 61

1.4.2.2. Other positions 62

1.5. Materials and methods 69

1.5.1. The quantitative database 69

1.5.2. Critical editions 74

Chapter 2 The stress phonology of Old English

2.2. Previous approaches 83

2.2.1. Was Old English word stress morphologically or phonologically conditioned? 84

2.2.2. Was Old English phonology quantity-sensitive? 93

2.2.3. What is the nature and relevance of evidence from Old English alliterative metre? 97

2.3. A new model of word-level stress in Old English 99

2.3.1. The constraints 99

2.3.1.1. ParseSyll and phonological structure 100

2.3.1.2. ParseSeg and FExMet 103

2.3.1.3. Strength and alignment 104

2.3.1.4. Correspondence constraints 107

2.3.1.5. Weight-Stress mapping 109

2.3.1.6. Eurhythmy constraints 110

2.3.2. Stress in Finnish 111

2.3.3. Old English 116

2.3.3.2. Phonological and metrical evidence: Constraint re-ranking in pre-Old English 117

2.3.3.3. Output selection for Old English stress 122

2.4. Phrasal-level stress in Old English 129

2.4.1. Grammatical words 129

2.4.2. Relative prominence within sentences 132

2.4.3. Higher-order phonological categories 136

2.4.3.1. Phonological phrases 136

2.4.3.2. [Phi]Phrases in Beowulf 139

2.4.3.3. [Phi]Phrases and relative prominence 143

2.4.3.4. Intonational phrasing in Beowulf 152

Chapter 3 Metrical structure at the foot level

3.1.2. Characterizing the constraint system 162

3.1.2.1. The distinctiveness of poetic constraint systems 162

3.1.2.2. The distinctiveness of Old English alliterative metre 171

3.1.2.3. The nature of rhythm in the metre of Beowulf 172

3.1.3. Rendering Sievers' types 173

3.2. Arguments for the proposed metrical associations 180

3.2.1. The size of a metrical position and restrictions on linguistic-metrical associations 180

3.2.2. Uniformly left-strong feet 191

3.2.3. Restrictions on prosodically weak syllables 195

3.2.4. The treatment of compounds and affixes 197

4.1.1. Constraint groups and conventions 209

4.1.2. The Beowulf corpus vs. a sample of Old English prose 211

4.2. Further foot-level metrical constraints 215

4.2.1. Phonological constraints 215

4.2.2. Matching constraints 217

4.2.3. Constraints on Branching and Balance 223

4.2.4. BalanceMin(ft) and Kaluza's Law 231

4.2.5. Constraints on Alignment 237

4.2.6. Meta-constraints 241

4.2.6.1. Implementations of Boundary 243

4.2.6.2. Implementations of Fit 251

Chapter 5 Metrical structure at the level of the half-line and long-line

5.2. Alliteration 260

5.2.1. Representing alliteration in the constraint system 260

5.2.2. The distribution of alliteration 267

5.3. Frequencies of metrical patterns: binary-branching half-lines 272

5.3.2. Metrical ambiguity 278

5.3.2.1. Ambiguity within half-lines 278

5.3.2.2. Ambiguity between joined half-lines 280

5.3.3. Preferences among binary-branching half-lines 290

5.4. Frequencies of metrical patterns: ternary-branching half-lines 294

5.4.1. Balance effects 296

5.4.2. Metrical ambiguity 297

6.3. The realization of verb-second syntax 314

6.3.1. V2 syntax in Old English prose 316

6.3.2. V2 syntax in Beowulf 318

6.4. Stochastic Optimality Theory 325.

Notes:

Revision of the author's thesis, 1998.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [347]-357) and indexes.

ISBN:

3110171058

OCLC:

50561873