Hur märks infinitiven? : Infinitivkonstruktioner i svenska dialekter med fokus på infinitivmärket

Sammanfattning: In Standard Swedish there are two ways to construct an infinitive phrase, on the one hand with the infinitive marker att, on the other without it. Although there is some variation, the distribution between the two alternatives follows relatively strict rules. In Swedish dialects, however, in addition to the bare infinitive there is the possibility of constructing the infinitive phrase with å (corresponding to Standard Swedish att), till or the combination till å.An extensive investigation of examples from Swedish dialect sources shows that variation occurs in most types of construction in all parts of the country. Some regional tendencies can be found, however. Most evident is the very strong predominance of å in South Swedish dialects, where the bare infinitive hardly occurs at all. Furthermore, there is a strong propensity to use till in Gotland and Svea dialects, although it is not equally strong in all types of construction. The propensity to use till å is, overall, weak. In the dialects of Dalecarlia the bare infinitive is very frequent, and it appears in many contexts where att is regarded as obligatory in Standard Swedish. Examples of a bare infinitive deviating from Standard Swedish can be found in other regions as well.Different types of construction also show diverging patterns. Especially noticeable is the use of till and till å in constructions where till seems to be a more or less obligatory element, a phenomenon most evident in South Swedish dialects, where these two variants are otherwise generally rare. This applies especially to expressions such as jag kom till tänka på ‘I came to think of’, and hon är duktig till sjunga ‘she is good at singing’. Whether in such cases till is a preposition or belongs to the infinitive phrase cannot be decided with any certainty. The situation possibly differs from one dialect to another.