Dialectal dimensions of the strengthening of number distinctions in the history of German

A corpus-based study

Abstract

This paper investigates the diachronic and dialectal development of number marking in German nouns, focusing on the spread of overt plural morphology among neuter members of the historical a-stems. Using data from the historical reference corpora, the study examines the transition from unmarked to marked plural forms during the Middle High German and Early New High German periods. The analysis shows that while marked plurals began to appear as early as the 11th century, the spread of overt plural markers such as -er and -e varied considerably across dialects. Overall, the results of the corpus study suggest that the spread of marked plural forms isless pronounced than the current situation in standard German would suggest.