Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1968, Page 92

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On Some Cases of Interaction
part played the connection between the finite and non-finite
verbal forms.29) However, the above facts do not deny the exi-
stence of spontaneous phonetic changes which influence upon
structure which in its turn influences on system of language.30)
Thus in Old English the loss of -n before the dentals in 3
pl. pres. indic., which led to the definite changes of the con-
nection between the finite and non-finite verbal forms in it,
was a phonetic process. But it seems hardly possible to explain
the further replacement of the inflection -að (3 pl. pres. indic.)
by the inflection -en not by the structural, but by the phone-
tical factors. As is known, the inflection -en was extended to
3 pl. pres. indic. from 3 pl. pres. subj. or 3 pl. pret. indic. or
subj.31) In Middle English this led to the phonetic coincidence
of inf. I with 3 pl. pres. indic.
The systemic explanation of the phenomena under considera-
tion enables one to avoid one-sided approach by which struc-
tural changes (in tlhe given case — morphological) are regarded
as depending on the phonetical ones. Owing to the existence
of interaction between the structural levels of language, the
changes at the given level or in the given sub-structure and
29) To the quite possible statement, that in the present paper the
term »systemic connection« is used to define the same phenomena which
are usually designated by the term »analogy« one may reply by the
words of A. S. C. Ross and R. A. Crossland: »The junggrammatiker
regarded the word »analogy« as a sufficient explanation of many lin-
guistic phenomena but, to-day, each analogy has to be accompanied by
a statement of the reason why it took place. . .« A. S. C. Ross and
R. A. Crossland. Supposed use of the 2nd singular for the 3rd singular
in »tocharian A«, Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Hittite. »Archivum Lin-
guisticum«, 1954, v. 6, Fasc. 2, p. 112.
30) On the Principle of Interaction of Structure and System in Lan-
guage. »Annali di Istituto Orientale di Napoli«, 8, Roma, 1967.
31) A. S. C. Ross. The Origin of the s-endings of the Present Indica-
tive in English. »The Journal of English and Germanic Philology« 1934,
v. 33, No. 1, pp. 68—73; A. S. C. Ross. The Pl. Pres. Ind. in English
and Low German. »Neuphil. Mitteilungen«, 1934, pp. 169—170; D. W.
Reed. The History of Inflectional N in English Verbs before 1500.
Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1950.