Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 01.01.1985, Page 72

70 Bergljót Baldursdóttir
nouns and in 1984 the pronouns make up 92.8% of the number error
category.
5. Conclusions
It can be argued that the types of changes that have taken place in
Baldur’s speech do not differ from changes occurring in languages in
general. The considerable irregularity and non-distinctiveness of the
Icelandic noun declension system might be an indication that Icelandic
itself is changing. For example Kjartansson (1979) has noticed, both in
spoken and written language, a tendency to avoid the genitive case end-
ing where dative and sometimes nominative or accusative is used
(1979:88). He points out that of many common prepositions and verbs
in Icelandic, only few govem the genitive. He compares this to how the
declension systems of other Germanic languages have for long time
been changing towards simpliFication in this way. That is, prepositions
and verbs have stopped taking the genitive case. In Baldur’s Icelandic,
the prepositions and verbs have stopped taking the various cases in a
similar way. This is on a much bigger scale in Baldur’s case, as this con-
cems most cases and not only the genitive. Baldur’s language shows a
similar reduction as is found in the language of Dorian’s semi-speakers.
There is, for example, a great loss of vocabulary, case structures are
replaced by prepositional phrases, loss of allomorphs and so on. There
is one difference, however. Dorian points out that the semi-speakers’
knowledge of Gaelic is asymmetrical. That is, their perceptive knowl-
edge was almost perfect at the same time their productive knowledge
was limited. In Baldur’s case this is not so. It is clear that both his pro-
ductive skills and his comprehension are limited. This is particularly
because his Icelandic vocabulary is limited, and it is seen in that he fre-
quently asks what words mean and asks people what is being talked
about. It may be pointed out in relation to this that his knowledge of
Icelandic sociolinguistic norms is also limited. At the time he moved to
England he was 3 years old and had not fully acquired sociolinguistic
norms.
Several factors have been pointed out here which all seem to influ-
ence or show similarities to the changes occurring in Baldur’s language.
These factors are: the characteristics of the Icelandic language, the ac-
quisition of Icelandic, general tendencies in language change and the
contact with another language. It is certain that the contact with Eng-