Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions
This thesis offers a comprehensive analysis of the pre-Old English runic corpus (PrOERC)—runic inscriptions from Britain between c. 400 and 650 AD—to investigate the functions of the runic script. Two overarching research questions guide this study: what are the functions of runic script, and how ca...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/81394/ |
| _version_ | 1848801321373663232 |
|---|---|
| author | Higgs, Jasmin |
| author_facet | Higgs, Jasmin |
| author_sort | Higgs, Jasmin |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This thesis offers a comprehensive analysis of the pre-Old English runic corpus (PrOERC)—runic inscriptions from Britain between c. 400 and 650 AD—to investigate the functions of the runic script. Two overarching research questions guide this study: what are the functions of runic script, and how can those functions be identified?
Previous research has largely approached these inscriptions from a neo-Grammarian perspective, focusing on phonological, morphological, and syntactic analysis to determine meaning. This approach has led to uneven results: while some inscriptions could be ‘read’ and their functions inferred, others, particularly the non-lexical texts that make up nearly a third of the corpus, could not be analysed in the same way. Non-lexical inscriptions do not form words and, as such, were often excluded from functional interpretation.
The field of runology, the study of runic inscriptions, has recently embraced more context-focused methodologies, including semiotics, sociolinguistics, and pragmatics. This thesis evaluates the applicability of pragmatics as a methodological framework for analysing runic inscriptions, concluding that while pragmatics is a valuable tool, it requires methodological adaptation for this purpose. The study employs a pragmatics-informed approach, dividing its analysis into two complementary areas: linguistic analysis and contextual analysis. The linguistic analysis focuses on lexical inscriptions, identifying formulae based on their structural patterns and assigning communicative functions accordingly. The contextual analysis applies pragmaphilology, a methodology that considers contextual factors such as the roles of the text producer and receiver to determine function. Both lexical and non-lexical inscriptions undergo this contextual examination.
This thesis reaches significant conclusions about the functions of inscriptions within the PrOERC. Lexical texts exhibit a variety of functions, typically expressed through formulae dominated by personal names. These formulae often reflect the relationship between the rune-bearing object and the individual(s) mentioned in the text. Non-lexical texts, on the other hand, derive their functions primarily from their interaction with the rune-bearing object, mimicking the functions of lexical texts in similar contexts. The findings underscore the necessity of a context-forward analysis for each inscription to fully understand the functions of runic script in the corpus. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:05:36Z |
| format | Thesis (University of Nottingham only) |
| id | nottingham-81394 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:05:36Z |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-813942025-07-30T04:40:28Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/81394/ Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions Higgs, Jasmin This thesis offers a comprehensive analysis of the pre-Old English runic corpus (PrOERC)—runic inscriptions from Britain between c. 400 and 650 AD—to investigate the functions of the runic script. Two overarching research questions guide this study: what are the functions of runic script, and how can those functions be identified? Previous research has largely approached these inscriptions from a neo-Grammarian perspective, focusing on phonological, morphological, and syntactic analysis to determine meaning. This approach has led to uneven results: while some inscriptions could be ‘read’ and their functions inferred, others, particularly the non-lexical texts that make up nearly a third of the corpus, could not be analysed in the same way. Non-lexical inscriptions do not form words and, as such, were often excluded from functional interpretation. The field of runology, the study of runic inscriptions, has recently embraced more context-focused methodologies, including semiotics, sociolinguistics, and pragmatics. This thesis evaluates the applicability of pragmatics as a methodological framework for analysing runic inscriptions, concluding that while pragmatics is a valuable tool, it requires methodological adaptation for this purpose. The study employs a pragmatics-informed approach, dividing its analysis into two complementary areas: linguistic analysis and contextual analysis. The linguistic analysis focuses on lexical inscriptions, identifying formulae based on their structural patterns and assigning communicative functions accordingly. The contextual analysis applies pragmaphilology, a methodology that considers contextual factors such as the roles of the text producer and receiver to determine function. Both lexical and non-lexical inscriptions undergo this contextual examination. This thesis reaches significant conclusions about the functions of inscriptions within the PrOERC. Lexical texts exhibit a variety of functions, typically expressed through formulae dominated by personal names. These formulae often reflect the relationship between the rune-bearing object and the individual(s) mentioned in the text. Non-lexical texts, on the other hand, derive their functions primarily from their interaction with the rune-bearing object, mimicking the functions of lexical texts in similar contexts. The findings underscore the necessity of a context-forward analysis for each inscription to fully understand the functions of runic script in the corpus. 2025-07-30 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/81394/1/Higgs_Thesis_SecondSubmission%202.06.25.pdf Higgs, Jasmin (2025) Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham. runology runes runic inscriptions Old English |
| spellingShingle | runology runes runic inscriptions Old English Higgs, Jasmin Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions |
| title | Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions |
| title_full | Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions |
| title_fullStr | Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions |
| title_short | Determining the functions of the pre-Old English runic inscriptions |
| title_sort | determining the functions of the pre-old english runic inscriptions |
| topic | runology runes runic inscriptions Old English |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/81394/ |