Restrictions on Alliteration and Rhyme in the Swedish System of Personal Names in the Light of Old Germanic Parallels

Abstract

I intend to demonstrate that the Swedish surname system is characterized by certain morphophonotactic restrictions, including a reluctance to use rhyme and alliteration in dithematic surnames, as for example in the following, actually existing names: 'Aldal' (Al- + -dal), 'Engren' (En- + -gren) and 'Backberg' (Back- + -berg), 'Stenstedt' (Sten- + -stedt). Restrictions of the latter type apply in cases of perfect alliteration. Combinations of elements with imperfect alliteration, on the other hand, such as 'Karlkvist' (Karl- + -kvist) and 'Spångstedt' (Spång- + -stedt), are not avoided. As for double first names in Swedish, it appears that many alliterating formations either have not been used, e.g., '*Alf-Anders', '*Bengt-Börje', or have few bearers, 'Hans-Håkan', 'Lars-Lennart' etc., all of these examples being men’s names. Rhyme is not found in this category of men’s names, as in the relevant names the accent always falls on the first syllable of the last element. In women’s double names, which have a different accentuation, both alliteration '*Hanna-Helen', '*Maj-Märta', and rhyme, '*Ella-Bella', '*Maria-Sofia', are avoided. Identical restrictions in the Old Germanic name system are also discussed in this study.