Yrrunan: Användning och ljudvärde i nordiska runinskrifter. With a summary in English: The yr-rune: Use and phonetic value in Scandinavian runic inscriptions. By Patrik Larsson. Runrön: Runologiska bidrag utgivna av Institutionen för nordiska språk vid Uppsala universitet, 17. Uppsala: Uppsala universitet, 2002. SEK 200.

Patrik Larsson's monograph is devoted to the rune x of the older fupark, which is K in the younger, and presents a number of interesting problems concerning its original phonological value and the changes it subsequently underwent. Chapter 1 (pp. 13–27) is an introduction presenting matters of general methodology; Chapter 2 (pp. 28–35) treats the rune's form and phonological value in an historical perspective; Chapter 3 (pp. 36–87) examines historical phonology and runological questions, along with problems of delimitation; Chapter 4 (pp. 88–132) explores the designation of "older /r/ "; Chapter 5 (pp. 133–37) reviews the use of this rune for [r]; Chapter 6 (pp. 138–56) reviews the use of the rune for a vowel; Chapter 7 (pp. 157–80) explores the variation in the designation of "older /r/ "; Chapter 8 (pp. 181–87) considers the medieval runic inscriptions; Chapter 9 (pp. 188–90) is a summary discussion of the time of the coalescence of [r] and [r], or /r/ and /r/; and Chapter 10 (pp. 191–93) is a summary. There then follow an English summary (pp. 194–96); an appendix with attestations of the preposition …ftir (pp. 197–203); a list of sources, literature, and abbreviations (pp. 204–27); an index of persons (pp. 228–32); and an index of inscriptions (pp. 233–45). Lists of tables and figures are given within the table of contents (pp. 9–10)..

Elmer H. Antonsen
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign