Der Gebrauch von Präfixverben zum Ausdruck von Aspekt/Aktionsart im Altenglischen und Althochdeutschen

English and German, though genetically closely related, have undergone different developments with regard to the verbal category aspect in its interaction with aktionsart. English has grammaticalized a periphrastic construction to mark the progressive, whereas German - if at all - uses word formation to mark the perfective. This study deals with verbal prefixes, especially ge-/gi-, in the earliest attestable stages of the two languages, i.e. in Old English (King Alfred's Orosius) and Old High German (Tatian). These elements have often been considered markers of perfective aspect or aktionsart and can be compared to perfectives, which - according to Bybee/Perkins/ Pagliuca (1994) - have developed from "bounders", i.e. adverbial particles to denote situation boundaries. Our analyses suggest that although there are basic similarities in the use of the various verbal constructions, the diverging paths of development with regard to aspect seem to begin already in these early stages. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]