A hybrid approach to Jespersen’s cycle in West Germanic

Abstract The goal of this paper is to propose an alternative interpretation of the diachronic development of the expression of negation known as Jespersen’s cycle as it is found in the West Germanic languages. Research to date has focussed mainly on the conditions behind the rise of the secondary negator. Much less attention has been paid to the fate of the original marker. The present paper focuses on the development of the original negation particle in the West Germanic languages English, Dutch, and High and Low German and argues that at least in these languages, its weakening and reinforcem... Mehr ...