| Abstract [eng] |
The object of the doctoral thesis is to explore the semantics of the adverbs of time in The Song of the Nibelungs (Manuscript B). Drawing on the analysis of the adverbs of time in Middle High German, the research aims at disclosing the prevalent model of time in The Song of the Nibelungs, composed by an anonymous writer about AD 1200. It is assumed that at different stages of the development of humanity one of the three models of time was dominant: time as the sum of separate points, time as a cycle or an uninterrupted line. It is supposed that mainly in the Middle Ages in the territory of present-day Germany there was a shift from the cyclical to linear concept of time. The research question is discussed not only from the perspective of historical linguistics but also from philosophical, religious, cultural and literary perspectives. The doctoral thesis consists of seven parts: Introduction, chapters „Conceptualization of time as the object of research in philosophy“, „Conceptualization of time and its models“, „Linguistic means of expressing time“, „The text of The Song of the Nibelungs and its sociocultural context“, „The analysis of the adverbs of time in Middle High German in The Song of the Nibelungs“ and Conclusions. The research of 822 adverbs of time in Middle High German has proved that The Song of the Nibelungs displays both cyclical and linear models of time. The findings of the research have revealed that 59% of the adverbs of time refer to time as an infinite and recurrent category. However, the model of cyclical time is not completely dominant because 41% of the adverbs of time represent the model of linear time. |
