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In:From Carving Runestones to Digitizing Skaldic Poetry: Studies in Germanic philology and historical linguistics
Edited by David Bolter, Erin Noelliste, Christopher D. Sapp and Lane Sorensen
[Studies in Germanic Linguistics 11] 2026
► pp. 96–113

Chapter 7
A note on syllable constituency in Old Norse

Coda maximization or onset maximization?

 | Humboldt Universität zu Berlin
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Abstract
This paper discusses issues surrounding the syllabification of Old Norse for the purposes of metrics. I compare two competing hypotheses, namely the Coda Maximization approach of Gade (1995a) with the Onset Maximization approach of Kristján Árnason (1991) and other recent scholars. In general, these two approaches differ little in the predictions they offer. Where they do differ, there are often other assumptions that come into play and make a direct comparison difficult. Although the OM approach is usually favored in phonology, I show that the CM approach has certain advantages, including its ability to handle internal rhyme. Furthermore, I also point to work in phonology where CM has been proposed to better account for various phenomena in a number of typologically diverse languages.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Coda maximization approach
  • 3.Onset maximization approach
  • 4.Coda maximalist syllabifications in other languages
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations and symbols
  • References
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