Orð og tunga - 01.06.2009, Blaðsíða 168

158
Orð og tunga
Abstract
'In Borgarfirði (dat.) eystri - in Borgarfirði eystra. Which part of speech is eystrnT
The purpose of this paper is to explain to which word class eystrn with Borgar-
fjörður e.g in dat. Borgarfirði eystrn, belongs? Is it an adjective, the comparative form
showing an old declensional form in the oblique case, or an adverb? Both explana-
tions make sense. On the other hand, eystri can only be the comparative form of ad-
jectives in the modern declension which had establised itself in the 18. century at the
very latest.
As already said, both explanations of eystrn are possible but the former one gets
support from many parallelisms in Icelandic where the old declensional form cnn be
used in the oblique cases or not, so there are two possibilities. On the other hand, in
the comparative degree form with all ordinary nouns, the development has not been
the same because there is only one possibility. The adjectives in question are very few;
they are all in the comparative and, as a matter of fact, their positive form is nearly
always lacking.
All these morphological developments are analyzed and described i.a. in the
light of theories of analogical change proposed by Kuryíowicz and Manczak, as well
as theories of the place of place names among proper names.
Mnrgrét Jónsdóttir
fslensku- og menningnrdeild Hugvísindnsviðs Háskóln íslnnds
Árnngnrði v/Suðurgötu
lS-101 Reykjnvík
mjons@hi.is