JOURNAL ARTICLE

Futurity and modality in the Old Frisian Skelta Riucht.

  • Published In: NOWELE: North-Western European Language Evolution, 2025, v. 78, n. 2. P. 121 1 of 3

  • Database: Communication Source 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Adamczyk, Elżbieta; Versloot, Arjen 3 of 3

Abstract

The paper investigates the grammatical means of encoding futurity and modality in Old West Frisian. The analysis, conducted on the archaic text of the Older Skelta Riucht (SkRa), as attested in Codex Unia (U-SkRa), aims at characterising the category of future along the dimensions of temporality and modality. The focus of the study remains specifically on the grammatical marker skela. The study investigates its semantics, typical functions that it served, as well as the linguistic contexts in which it was used. The analysis reveals that skela primarily carries its original modal meanings of obligation, but it occasionally explicitly refers to future events in contexts in which typically the simple present tense forms (futurate presents) appear. In a range of such contexts, characteristic traces of the incipient grammaticalization process can be captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:NOWELE: North-Western European Language Evolution. 2025/07, Vol. 78, Issue 2, p121
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Language and Linguistics
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0108-8416
  • DOI:10.1075/nowele.00098.ada
  • Accession Number:190241026
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of NOWELE: North-Western European Language Evolution is the property of John Benjamins Publishing Co. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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