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The weakening of strong verbs in Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic : a comparative study

Arnout Devriesere (UGent) , Isabeau De Smet and Freek Van de Velde
(2026) JOURNAL OF GERMANIC LINGUISTICS.
Author
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Abstract
This paper combines a diachronic and a comparative approach to examine the development of strong verbs in the North Germanic languages Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic, complementing prior research on weakening in West Germanic languages. Using quantitative methods, we assess the impact of token frequency, class, and ablaut pattern on weakening. The results reveal that Norwegian and Swedish exhibit substantially more weakening than Icelandic, especially in their participles. This sets them apart from West Germanic languages, which show more weakening in the preterite. This discrepancy between North and West Germanic languages can likely be attributed to North Germanic languages being comparatively less exposed to Präteritumschwund. Overall, these findings contribute to a broader understanding of the evolution of strong verbs within the Germanic language family.
Keywords
Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, strong verbs, North Germanic, Präteritumschwund

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MLA
Devriesere, Arnout, et al. “The Weakening of Strong Verbs in Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic : A Comparative Study.” JOURNAL OF GERMANIC LINGUISTICS, 2026.
APA
Devriesere, A., De Smet, I., & Van de Velde, F. (2026). The weakening of strong verbs in Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic : a comparative study. JOURNAL OF GERMANIC LINGUISTICS.
Chicago author-date
Devriesere, Arnout, Isabeau De Smet, and Freek Van de Velde. 2026. “The Weakening of Strong Verbs in Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic : A Comparative Study.” JOURNAL OF GERMANIC LINGUISTICS.
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Devriesere, Arnout, Isabeau De Smet, and Freek Van de Velde. 2026. “The Weakening of Strong Verbs in Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic : A Comparative Study.” JOURNAL OF GERMANIC LINGUISTICS.
Vancouver
1.
Devriesere A, De Smet I, Van de Velde F. The weakening of strong verbs in Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic : a comparative study. JOURNAL OF GERMANIC LINGUISTICS. 2026;
IEEE
[1]
A. Devriesere, I. De Smet, and F. Van de Velde, “The weakening of strong verbs in Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic : a comparative study,” JOURNAL OF GERMANIC LINGUISTICS, 2026.
@article{01KJ84813KKVW0VEPXKXT9PGTM,
  abstract     = {{This paper combines a diachronic and a comparative approach to examine the development of strong verbs in the North Germanic languages Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic, complementing prior research on weakening in West Germanic languages. Using quantitative methods, we assess the impact of token frequency, class, and ablaut pattern on weakening. The results reveal that Norwegian and Swedish exhibit substantially more weakening than Icelandic, especially in their participles. This sets them apart from West Germanic languages, which show more weakening in the preterite. This discrepancy between North and West Germanic languages can likely be attributed to North Germanic languages being comparatively less exposed to Präteritumschwund. Overall, these findings contribute to a broader understanding of the evolution of strong verbs within the Germanic language family.}},
  author       = {{Devriesere, Arnout and De Smet, Isabeau and Van de Velde, Freek}},
  issn         = {{1470-5427}},
  journal      = {{JOURNAL OF GERMANIC LINGUISTICS}},
  keywords     = {{Norwegian,Swedish,Icelandic,strong verbs,North Germanic,Präteritumschwund}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  title        = {{The weakening of strong verbs in Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic : a comparative study}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}