[gothic-l] Re: The Gothic Definite Article

[edmundfairfax@yahoo.ca [gothic-l]]

A short addendum to my foregoing post on the frequency of article-usage in Gothic. 

 In his >Syntax of Old Norse< (2004), J. T. Faarland writes with regard to the use of the article in Old Norse that
 

 "the function of the definite article is to express unique or specific reference. During the Old Norse period, the use of the definite article was marked. The unmarked form without the article could thus also have unique and specific reference."
 

 A few examples (without diacritical markings):
 

 "sat konungr ok drottning i hasaeti"
 'the king and the queen were sitting in the high seat'
 

 "jarl var vinsaell vith buendr"
 'the earl was popular among the farmers'
 

 In other words, Old Norse, like Gothic, used its definite article only sparingly, at least from the vantage-point of such languages as Modern English or German.
 

 Edmund
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