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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. 312–329

Chapter 18
The interaction of Old High German -heit and -tuom with -î, -ida, and -unga

 | Arizona State University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
The phenomenon of rival suffixes in the history of German has received much attention in recent years. Most analyses focus on the semantics and/or functions of a given suffix relative to its competitors. Some scholars have argued that suffixes are monofunctional and mostly static over their history, while others have claimed that suffixes indeed change functions over time. The present contribution investigates the phenomenon of rival suffixes with special attention to -heit and -tuom in the Old High German period. These younger suffixes are analyzed against the older noun-forming suffixes -î, -ida, and -unga. It is shown that an abstract/concrete dichotomy emerges to limit the number of rivals in the language. Based on the type of distinction that emerges or lack thereof, I argue that -heit was partially integrated into the preexisting system, but that -tuom remained unintegrated. The analysis sheds light on how the development of new suffixes affects derivational rivals and raises the question of whether or not their semantic distinctions are stored in the lexicon.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Abstract nominals in Old High German
    • 2.1Productive abstract noun-forming suffixes
    • 2.2Previous approaches to OHG rivals
  • 3.The interaction of the suffixes -heit, -tuom, -î, -ida, and -unga
    • 3.1The concrete vs abstract dichotomy in rival formations
    • 3.2The -heit/-ida rivalry
    • 3.3The -heit/-tuom rivalry
    • 3.4The integration of -tuom into the derivational system
    • 3.5Productivity, rivalry, and the lexicon
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Author queries
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
References (20)
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