On Extreme Tonogenesis in Old Norse: Arguments from the Kjalvotn MS

Abstract

The enigmatic Kjalvotn MS has ignited a firestorm amid the otherwise staid world of Scandinavian archaeology and philology. Reasonable men's passions are caught suddenly aflame; formerly civilized debate runs hot and turbulent and, unfortunately, personal. The attacks by certain parties upon this author have been distressingly uninformed and emotional; and indeed (with a few noble exceptions -- see e.g. Berhtmanson and Gwerdl, in press) altogether unjustified. It is this author's firm belief that once all the relevant facts of the case are widely known, many (if not most!) of his colleagues' criticisms will simply resolve themselves. Therefore, the aim of this humble article is to dispense with a few of the most egregious rumours; and further, to present a cogent (if preliminary) analysis of the MS as a whole, and the author's own hypotheses as to its origin, function and continued relevance to scholarship.