This research project will work on a common type of language change, analogical change, in four related Germanic languages. Analogy describes the cognitive process where two concepts are linked due to their similarities. This process of linking concepts also causes language change in that language users link words due to similarities, such as in inflection. For example, the past tense ""flew"" of the verb ""fly"" is the result of an analogical change, where the verbs ""fly"" and ""know"" were cognitively linked. These two verbs already had similar past participle forms, Middle English ""flowen"" and ""knowen"". After the analogical change, the past tense ""flew"" of ""fly"" came to resemble the past tense ""knew"" of ""know"".
The aim of this project is to contribute to the understanding of analogy by studying verbs of four Germanic languages: English, German, Swedish, Icelandic. Because they are related, these languages have similar verbal systems and similar types of analogical change are attested in them. Moreover, they have a long attestation span of around 1000 years in multiple languages and can therefore be traced back long in time. For these reasons, verbs of these languages are ideal for a comparative study of analogical change. I will work with previously developed theories that explain analogical change and test to what extent these theories are successful in explaining the attested analogical changes. This project intends to provide deeper empirical foundations to the linguistic debate about analogy.
