Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 01.01.2023, Blaðsíða 97

characterized by a formulaic style but a varied and even oral style; there-
fore, they can be used as reliable sources for spoken language (Kyrkjebø
2003:21–22). In this light, the example in (9c) might indicate that án was
used with the genitive in spoken Icelandic, likely by a limited group of
people, around the first half of the 16th century.
The tendency in the use of án seems to change during the first half of
the 16th century. ONP provides seven examples of án with the genitive
connected to Holm. perg. 3 fol. (Reykjahólabók), as in (10a). ONP also
provides four accusatives, but they are all in the expression án allan efa
‘without all doubt’ (10b).
(10)a. þesse svor gaf hann aann allz otta
these answers gave he without all(G) fear(U)
‘He gave these answers without all fear.’  (Holm. perg. 3 fol. II:131)
b. Þv allra kærazthe eg trve þvi aann allann efa
you of-all lord I believe that without all(A) doubt(U)
‘You, the lord of all, I believe it without all doubt.’
(Holm. perg. 3 fol. I:168)
Based on data from ONP, the percentage with genitives in the whole man-
uscript is unclear. However, no other earlier Icelandic manuscripts examined
in this study contain as many genitives, and it seems that án became more
strongly connected to the genitive in Icelandic in the early 16th century.
The scribe of Reykjahólabók is considered to have been Björn Þor leifs -
son at Reykjahólar (Overgaard 1968:ciii–cxi; Holm. perg. 3 fol., Loth
1969:xxviii), who lived in Bergen in 1504–1506 (Kalinke 1996:31). Loth
(1969), in Holm. perg. 3 fol., points out that although Björn’s writing was
strongly influenced by Low German, he may have felt like creating a kind
of Norwegian-like Icelandic during his stay in Bergen (such as the use of
therass/theirass instead of þeirra, cf. Holm. perg. 3 fol., Loth 1969:xxxix–
xl, Overgaard 1968:cv–cvi).
All the above points indicate that án was frequently used with the
genitive in Icelandic manuscripts related to Norway. Indeed, because of a
lack of examples, it is difficult to assert whether the change can be regard-
ed as a clear instance of Norwegianism. However, án was more promi-
nently used with the genitive in the earliest manuscripts in Old Nor -
wegian than in Old Icelandic, and following ONP, Icelandic án seems to
have been used with the genitive from approximately 1300. As fairly
many genitive examples in Icelandic around that period were in some
way related to Norway, it seems likely that the first steps in the change
Case government of the Icelandic preposition án 97