--- "llama_nom" wrote:
> > skuggi minn
> > minn skuggi
> > skugginn minn
> >
> I was also wondering: are those three possibilities completely
> interchangeable, or are there times when you would prefer one over
> another. E.g. is it more emphatic or stylistically marked to put
> 'minn' first? Do any sound more colloquial or more literary?
Actually, it depends on the context. In the simplest of terms,
"skugginn minn" is the most colloquial, and "skuggi minn" is
more formal, written prose. In written prose, you would only
say "minn skuggi", if you wanted to stress "minn" (e.g. as
opposed to "þinn"). As in "þetta er minn skuggi, ekki þinn".
But when it comes to poetry, ANYTHING is possible. When SS
says "minn skuggi féll ..." it is not because he wants to
stress "minn" - it is exactly the opposite, i.e. "minn" is
unstressed, because the line is 100% iambic:
minn SKUGGi FÉLL um STUND á GLUGGans GLER
[exactly like:
ég GENG í HRING í KRINGum ALLT sem ER]
If you were saying the same in prose, the normal order
would be "skuggi minn féll um stund á gler gluggans". So
never look to poetry for "normal" syntax!!
Best,
Eysteinn