The metrical intertextuality of the Old English Genesis A and B, and the Old Saxon Genesis

Research Project

Project/Area Number	26370582
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	English linguistics
Research Institution	Kansai Gaidai University
Principal Investigator	Suzuki Seiichi 関西外国語大学, 外国語学部, 教授 (90148239)
Project Period (FY)	2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
Budget Amount *help	¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000) Fiscal Year 2016: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000) Fiscal Year 2015: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000) Fiscal Year 2014: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Keywords	韻律 / 古英語 / 古サクソン語 / 古英詩創世記A / 古英詩創世記B / ベオウルフ / ヘリアント / 古サクソン創世記 / Genesis A / Genesis B / Old English / Junius 11 / meter / Old Saxon Genesis / Exodus / Daniel / Heliand / Beowulf / three-position verses / four-position principle / prosody
Outline of Final Research Achievements	This project explored, primarily from a synchronic perspective, the meters of Old English Genesis A and B in their own right and in their integration into a common overarching system, through a comparison with Beowulf, Old Saxon Genesis, and the Heliand. In-depth examinations of a wide range of metrical properties led to a postulation of the prominence scale, OS Genesis/Heliand > Genesis B > Beowulf > Genesis A, whereby Genesis A is characterized as minimal in metrical prominence. At the same time, however, Genesis A and B demonstrably deviate from the four-position principle to a similar extent, the fundamental rule of composition. Furthermore, in regard to an array of metrical features, an earlier part of Genesis A exhibits greater similarities to Genesis B than the later one.