Editiones Arnamagnæanæ. Series A - 01.10.2003, Blaðsíða 80

62*
W (Wolfenbiittel 9.10. Aug. 4to)
‘MááR’ 22.9, 22.16 (all nom.). Styrr ‘StyR’ 23.6, 24.79, 82, 26.28, 32, 81,
82 (all nom.), ‘Styá’ 24.28, 69, 84, 25.46, 26.5, 7, 31, 34, 36, 38, 46, 49, 76,
85, 96, 97, 29.47, 32.55, 60 (all nom.), ‘Styr’ 26.74 (nom.), 25.45 (acc.),
24.30, 24.64, 67, 86, 88, 25.34, 26.2 (all dat.). Names in -þórr: Bergþórr
‘Bergþorr’, ‘-ðorr’ 38.9, 69, 80, 39.6 (all nom.), Halldórr ‘Halldorr’ 50.21
(nom.), Steinþórr ‘Steinþorr’ 35.82, 39.2 (both nom.), ‘Steinþor’ 34.99
(acc.). In summary, after a long vowel the use of (r) or (rr) is mostly
orthodox, with the exception of the inverse form Márr. After a short vowel
- as in the name Styrr - the distribution is somewhat arbitrary; yet for the
greater part the forms are orthodox. ‘Sturli’ 45.13, where ‘Sturla’ is
expected (c/‘Sturla’ 45.25), is almost certainly written with (i>.37
Adjectival and adverbial forms The superlative exponent is written with
(st)/(z)/(zt>/(zst> in W, and the distribution of these written forms is neither
completely systematic nor completely random.
In superlatives with the ending -st, (st> is the usual spelling after a vowel
or non-dental consonant: ‘flest’ 41.50 (sole), ‘flesta’ 24.29 - ‘flestir 49.26
(x 9), ‘mest’ 24.51 - 50.7 (x 18), ‘mesta’ 22.22 - ‘mesta’ 49.58 (x 19),
‘næst’ 25.20 - 49.49 (x 7), ‘næsta’ 28.13 - ‘næsta’ 48.121 (x 7), ‘fyrst’
20.14 - 50.2 (x 11), ‘fyrstu’ 24.85 - ‘fyrsta’ 42.55 (x 7), ‘uerst’ 29.20, 58,
31.16 (all), ‘hægst’ 40.32 (sole), ‘sæmiligstu’ 30.31, ‘illiligsti’ 31.87,
‘erriligsta’ 41.49, ‘harðligsta’ 44.44, ‘traullzligsti’ 48.16 (all). When fol-
lowing a “latent dental” the exponent is written (zt>: ‘bezt’ 24.68, 25.52,
36.45 (all), ‘bezta’ 26.53 -46.21 (x 4), ‘sizt’ 26.31, ‘hellzt’ 42.13, 49.14,
‘hellzti’ 28.39 (sole), or(z> alone: ‘hellz’ 25.34, ‘minnz’ 45.71.
This classical rule (on which see p. 37*-38*) is not, however, universally
applied. Like other fourteenth-century manuscripts W uses (z> in the super-
lative even in cases where there is no “latent dental”, e g following a vowel.
In superlatives with the ending -ast-l-ust- (including adjectives and adverbs
ending in -ligast) the exponent is almost always written (z> when in word-
final position: ‘uinue'i'ttuz’ 20.2 - ‘radligaz’ 34.47 - ‘skiotaz’ 48.48 (x 12)
(ct ‘siðazt’ 36.45, ‘framazst’ 44.18, ‘siðarst’ 44.3); in word-medial position
after a vowel, it is normally written (zt>: ‘auðgazta’ 26.15 - gofgaztr’ 50.23
(x 28), or occasionally (st>: ‘akaufustu’ 45.80, ‘siðarsta’ 26.51. Occasio-
nally we find (z> after a non-dental consonant: ‘skauruligzta’ 21.39,
Tengzta(n)’ 27.44, 44.12, ‘gerfilikzti’ 29.18, ‘fremztr’ 38.47, ‘þyngzt’
38.20.
Verbal forms The first person singular present of vera is both ‘em’ 26.44
-48.10 (x 6) and ‘er’ 32.39 - ‘er’ 40.42 (x 3). Similarly with a few other
37 C/Bjöm K. Þórólfsson 1925, p. 25.