The Burgundian language and its phylogeny

Abstract

Abstract The Burgundian language is one of several smaller early Germanic languages that are scarcely attested and often under-researched. Moreover, it is commonly classified as an ‘East Germanic’ language, forming a Germanic subgroup alongside Northwest Germanic. This paper investigates Burgundian in detail in order to establish the most complete phonology and morphology that is currently possible with the current data base. Furthermore, we examine the linguistic relationships of Burgundian with other Germanic languages, with a focus on Gothic in particular. Our findings suggest that Burgundian does not form a coherent subgroup together with Gothic but that the data imply a common post-Proto-Germanic dialect continuum of which Burgundian, Gothic, and most likely Vandalic were a part.