Re: "Little Brother?"

Annika,

We were discussing whether a weak adjective would be used in the
vocative or a strong one. According to Stefán
Einarsson´s "Icelandic Grammar, Texts & Glossary", S. III, 2.5 (page
118), "Adjectives are usually weak in direct address...but strong
forms are sometimes used." This is talking about the Icelandic
language as used in 1945, when the book was printed, but a search on
the Textasafn Orðabókar Háskólans produces plenty of examples of
weak adjectives as vocatives from medieval texts, with
possessive/demonstrative and without, e.g.:

http://www.lexis.hi.is/corpus/leit.pl?
lemma=&ofl=&leita=1&flokkar=Fornrit&m1=k%E6ri&l1=Leita&lmax=1

http://www.lexis.hi.is/corpus/leit.pl?
lemma=&ofl=&leita=1&flokkar=Fornrit&m1=g%F3%F0i&l1=Leita&lmax=1

Also of relevance: Einarsson S. III, 2.7, which has examples of weak
adjectives used in "proper names (place-names, personal names) or
words that border on proper names...'afi gamli' "Old
Grandpa", 'stóra systir' "Big Sister"."

The forms 'minn kæri (faðir/bróðir)' "my dear (father/brother)"
suggest that 'minn litli bróðir' might be acceptable after all.

Llama Nom

--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, Annika Larla Evensen McKibbin
<runadis@...> wrote:

> Hi llama
>
> I guess there was a change in the frequency, that kind of changes

don't happen over night.

>
> It's quite common in norse language to use only the definite

adjective without the pronoun, as long as the writer considers the
meaning to be clear, he often omits what can be omitted. If he
wants to write Tor opened the door, he might just write Tor opened,
if the text already has described the closed door.

>
> 'bróðir minn lítill' is the version I'd recomend because it's in

the nominative case wich is the form norse uses in vocative
function. The order of the words doesn't matter.

>
> I checed out modern Icelandic, the syntax is much

more 'normalised', and they do use definite/demonstrative
article/pronoun in the 'modern' way.

>
> I don't know about *bróðlir, it might not exist in written texts

as I'm sure it would only be used as a personal nick name, but I
have no confirmation that the diminuative may be applied this way.
I'll have to check this up properly, so I'll get back to this in a
couple of weeks.

>
> Runadis
>
> llama_nom <600cell@...> wrote:
>
>
> Hi Runadis,
>
> Do you know if there was any change in the frequency of the
> definite/demonstrative pronoun over time in Norse? I've read that
> it's much rarer in the oldest Old English, originally only used
> where we would say "that" in Modern English, but became steadily
> more common and in later Old English is often used like a definite
> article "the". On the other hand, in the oldest Old English, and
> sometimes in Gothic, definite adjectives can appear without the
> pronoun where we would say "the" (there is some variation in

Gothic:

> in spedistin daga; in þamma spedistin daga "in the last day"), and
> cf. ON nicknames:
>
> I'varr beinlausi (alongside I'varr inn beinlausi)
>
> Looking again at those examples I had, the one from Gautreks saga
> probably does involve line of sight. I should have written "good
> ox" there, not "best ox". Sorry I forgot to identify example 5:
> that was from Hervarar saga, ch. 11. The brother in question is

the

> addressee's only brother, but then the actual superlatives are

often

> used to mean "a very" rather than literally "the most". Maybe we
> could say "that most warlike brother of yours" = "your very

warlike

> brother"?
>
> I found some modern examples of 'frændi minn góður', as a

vocative.

> So do you think it would be best, if addressing this brother to
> say 'bróðir minn lítill'? Or 'bróðir minn litli', or 'litli

bróðir

> minn'? I haven't found *bróðlir yet. I wonder if the runic
> inscriptions have anything like this.
>
> Llama Nom
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, Annika Larla Evensen McKibbin
> <runadis@...> wrote:
> > Hi Llama
> >
> > In norse the definite and the demonstrative pronouns are

expressed

> the same ((h)inn), which can sometimes be confusing semantically.
> They are as a rule ( though no rules are followed through without
> fault in the norse litterature), only used in the cases mentioned,
> and one other i forgot to mention as i didn't see it as applying

> the case, when you wish to point out what one's talking about as

the

> most 'what ever adjective is in question' among its like. (I

don't

> think it was the smallest brother in the world who was in

question.)

> > In the first 5 examples I might add -which is the best/sharpest/
> most warlike of all. Which probbably fits quite well into the
> transelations. Often it will be a case of iterpetation, are we
> talking about somethin exeptional, or someting we have prior
> knowlege of? Thogh, in (2) it seems like the man is in sight, or

> least within ear shot, which would amont to the same, as it seems
> he's beeing spoken directly to.
> >
> > Your other examples I don't see any hindrance for applying

theese

> rules to either, but then I don't know much about the habits of
> these languages...
> >
> > As to your Norweigan example, it's quite standard for the runic
> inscriptions, no definite pronouns.
> >
> > How this applies to modern Icelandic I do not know, but i do

know

> that it doesn't apply to modern Norweigan... I probbably will

find

> out though, as I've gotten curious...
> >
> > The coupeling of the demonstrative and possesive I'd attribute

> the norse love of bragging/putting forth of their possesons and
> gifts.
> >
> > To me it seems the definite article as we use and know it,

doesn't

> really apply to the norse language.
> >
> > The use of the diminuative has continued in the use of names

until

> today, and I only assume it has it's roots in everyday use of the
> language, and that it would be used and affect the words much the
> same as when making superlatives... I freely admit I'm on thin ice
> here, I realise it's something I've been taking for granted,

though

> it feels quite natural to do this with the language.
> >
> > Eaters of the Dead, never heard abuot it before ( just got a

short

> brief of the action), Don't really know what to say about that...
> >
> > Runadis
> >
> > llama_nom <600cell@...> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Hi Annika,
> >
> > > _the '(h)inn' would of course only be used if the brother had
> > recently been mentioned in the same conversation or was in sight
> at
> > the time of the conversation...
> >
> > Does this rule about (h)inn apply to Modern Icelandic? And if

the

> > brother was not in sight and had not been recently mentioned,
> would
> > the adjective still be weak? Here are some examples from Old
> > Icelandic where I think the thing/person is being mentioned for
> the
> > first time in the conversation:
> >
> > 1) Gillingr skal hafa uxa minn inn góða
> > "G. shall have my best ox"
> > (Gautreks saga, ch. 2)
> >
> > 2) Upp rístu Þakkráðr,
> > þræll minn in bezti.
> > "Arise Th., my best thrall"
> > (Völundarkviða, st. 39)
> >
> > 3) ok minn inn hvassi hjörr
> > "and my sharp sword"
> > (Fáfnismál, st. 6)
> >
> > 4) Skaltu nú drekka brullaup til hennar ok fara í skrúða minn

inn

> > besta.
> > You must/shall now marry her and go in my best raiment.
> > (Sturlaugs saga starfsama, ch. 22)
> >
> > 5) bróðir þinn inn böðskái
> > "your warlike brother"
> >
> > Admittedly in 3, though not mentioned, the sword has been felt.
> In
> > 1 and 4 I'm not sure if the item in in sight, but maybe.

Gilling

> is
> > a poor man so perhaps he keeps his ox indoors. I don't know the
> > context of 4, I'm afraid. In 5, the brother is probably NOT IN
> > SIGHT, as he's just arrived and instructed the speaker to go
> inside
> > the hall to announce his arrival.
> >
> > Not strictly relevant, but the use of possessive + demonstrative
> is
> > also found in Old English:
> >
> > 6) broþer þin se selesta
> > "your blessed brother"
> > (Guþlac 1332-3)
> >
> > ...and weak adjectives with or without definite/demonstrative
> > pronouns in Gothic:
> >
> > 7) þu is sunus meins sa liuba
> > you are my own beloved son
> > (Luke 3,22)--speaker = voice from heaven, who hasn't mentioned
> > anything till now
> >
> > 8) sa sunus meins dauþs was jah gaqiunoda
> > my son was dead but came to life
> > (Luke 15,24)--speaker = father of the Prodigal Son, speaking in
> > private to his jealous other son
> >
> > 9) Þu nu, barn mein waliso
> > so you, my dear child
> > (2Tim 2,1)
> >
> > In vocatives like 9, the weak/definite declension of the

adjective

> > is a matter of convention, used even in writing a letter, as in

> > or a Gospel, where the adressee is not in sight: batista
> > Þaiaufeilu "most excellent Theophilus" (Luke 1,1). This is the
> very
> > beginning of the Gospel, so Th. hasn't been mentioned previously
> > either. On the other hand, an early 5th c. inscription from
> Norway
> > has the vocative adjective declined strong, and without
> > demonstrative/article:
> >
> > 10) Birg, Inguboro, swestar minu liubu meR Wage
> > "Save/protect [me], Inguboro, my dear sister, me WagaR."
> > (Opedal runestone)
> >
> > It has been speculated that this was a prayer addressed to the
> > occupant of a nearby grave-mound (20m away, according to Arild
> > Hauge's site). I don't know if that affects the grammar

though.

> > The Opedal inscription conflicts with Gothic usage. Would this
> > require a definite pronoun in Old Norse? Modern Icelandic?
> >
> >
> >
> > > Also I think it's likely that instead of using the word little
> > they would maybe only use a diminuative, so you could get
> something
> > like bróð + le (the diminuative) + ur/ir, which with vocal
> > subtraction would give an end result somthing like bróðlir,

which

> > would mean little or small brother...
> >
> >
> > Do you have any examples of this method of forming a

diminutive?

> > Did it survive in Old Icelandic as a productive affix? The old
> > diminutives -ill and -li were added to the end of the word and
> > affect the declination, but I hadn't heard of this diminutive
> infix
> > in ON. I'm not sure that even -ill and -li were freely combined
> > with roots in historical times.
> >
> > Where did the speaker come from in Eaters of the Dead? I

haven't

> > read the book, but in the film (13th Warrior) I think they end

> in
> > Norway don't they? But could it be an East Norse peculiarity?
> > Maybe we should be looking for parallels on Swedish runestones.
> > Lots of examples of bróþir, anyway, but are there any with an
> > adjective?
> >
> > Llama Nom
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, Annika Larla Evensen

McKibbin

> > <runadis@...> wrote:
> > > _the '(h)inn' would of course only be used if the brother had
> > recently been mentioned in the same conversation or was in sight
> at
> > the time of the conversation... Also I think it's likely that
> > instead of using the word little they would maybe only use a
> > diminuative, so you could get something like bróð + le (the
> > diminuative) + ur/ir, which with vocal subtraction would give

> > end result somthing like bróðlir, wich would mean little or

small

> > brother...
> > >
> > > Runadis
> > >
> > > llama_nom <600cell@...> wrote:
> > >
> > > --- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "absnt_mnd_prof"
> > > <hilandfox@...> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Can anyone give me the old norse for this?
> > >
> > >
> > > Google turns up a lot of Modern Icelandic examples of both:
> > >
> > > litli bróðir minn (1990)
> > > bróðir minn litli (52)
> > >
> > > Also a few with: hinn litli bróðir minn. I don't know if that
> > adds
> > > the same kind of emphasis as English "that little brother of
> mine".
> > >
> > > Perhaps the most likely way to say it in Old Norse would be:
> > >
> > > bróðir minn inn litli
> > >
> > > Llama Nom
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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