The position of the verb in Gothic

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to offer a descriptive analysis of the position of the verb in the recently discovered Gothic fragment of Bologna (Gothica Bononiensia) – a text that seems to be independent of Greek or Latin models – in order to highlight analogies to and differences from other Gothic texts. The analysis shows that the position of the verb is relatively free, both in main and in subordinate clauses, with some exceptions (negatives, wh-questions and imperatives). The text exhibits the coexistence of competing grammatical constructions, used to satisfy pragmatic and stylistic requirements.