Zur Entwicklung von Verbzweit im Fragesatz. Die Evidenz im Althochdeutschen.

The paper explores the syntax of direct questions in Old High German (OHG) with particular reference to the placement of the finite verb and the interrogative element. It evaluates the complete OHG corpus and analyses the word order patterns taking into account the relevant loan-syntactic or metrical factors. The study shows that there is secure evidence allowing to retrace the emergence of V1 and V2 as the core patterns in alternative and constituent questions in modern German. In addition, the relation between the establishment of the V2-pattern in interrogatives and the consolidation of the V2-rule in main declarative clauses is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]