Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1968, Page 90

98
On Some Cases of Interaction
loss of -t in 3 pl. pres. indic. in High German was the result
of this tendency, which probably also accounts to some degrec
for the development of the pre-infinitive particle in these
languages. In West Germanic and Scandinavian languages this
partiole genetically is not identical. However, it goes back to
the common semantic group of prepositions used with the
Dative. Cf. Goth. du, Germ. zu, Eng. to, Icel. að, Swed. att.
In all the Germanic languages this particle was firstly used
only with the infinitive of purpose. Its usage in modern
languages with other types of the infinitive is the reflection
of the further development of the functions of this particle.
This is first of all characteristic of Old Scandinavian langu-
ages27), in which the forms of inf. I and 3 pl. pres. indic.
coincide with phonetically. Then this became typical of Eng-
lish and rather recently of German of which is also charac-
teristic a comparatively late coincidence of the forms of inf. I
with 3 pl. pres. indic. The latter fact probably plays definite
part in the low frequency of this particle in German.
It may happen that in future in German too, this particle
will be used with all the types of infinitives. The stated above
gives reason to think that the principal function of the pre-
infinitive particle is to indicate that the given infinitive is the
infinitive of purpose. Another function of it is to indicate in
speech that the given form homonymic with 3 pl. pres. indic.
is the infinitive.
The probability of the existence of the connection between
the appearance of the pre-infinitive particle together with
phonetic identity of the forms discussed, the chronology of the
appearance of which is different in individual languages, per-
mits to think that in most Germanic languages this phonetical
coincidence was conditioned by the structural factors. This is
proved by the data of Danish and Norwegian. The phonetical
coincidence of these forms characteristic of Old Danish, Old
27) In particular in Old Icelandic c. in IX century, see: M. Nygaard.
Eddasprogets syntax, Bergen 1867, Bd. II, s. 48.