1 / 12

Introduction to Old and Middle English: Part I

Introduction to Old and Middle English: Part I. Historical syntax December 16, 2005 Andreas H. Jucker. Word order: ModE. Main clauses Fred hates syntax exercises ( S V O) Yesterday Fred might have done some syntax exercises (X S V O) Subordinate clauses

damisi
Télécharger la présentation

Introduction to Old and Middle English: Part I

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Introduction to Old and Middle English:Part I Historical syntax December 16, 2005 Andreas H. Jucker

  2. Word order: ModE • Main clauses • Fredhates syntax exercises (SVO) • Yesterday Fredmight have done some syntax exercises (XSVO) • Subordinate clauses • … because Fredhates syntax exercises. (XSVO) • … Fred, whohates syntax exercises. (SVO) • Pattern: subject – verb – object (SVO)

  3. Word order: OE • Main clauses • hehæfde an swiðe ænlice wif (SVO)‘he had a most excellent wife’ • þa eodenhie ut (XVSX)‘then they went out’ • Micelne geleafan hehæfde (O(S)V, S=clitic)‘Great faith he had’ • Pattern: verb second (V2) Sources: Bruce & Mitchell 1992: 63; van Kemenade 1987: 37

  4. Word order: OE • Subordinate clause • þat hie mid þæm þæt folc ut aloccoden (XSXV)‘so that by doing that, they would entice the people out’ • gif hie ænigne feld secan wolden (XSOV)‘if they wished to seek any open country’ • Pattern: verb-final (V-F) Sources: Bruce & Mitchell 1992: 63; van Kemenade 1987: 37, 39

  5. Problem for historical syntax • Word order in main clauses • verb-second --> subject-verb • Word order in subordinate clauses • verb-last --> subject-verb

  6. Word order reanalysis • Assumptions: • OE underlying SOV in all clauses • in main clauses: • verb fronting • topicalisation • pronouns are clitics unless topicalised • clitics are attached to the finite verb • result: V2 • in subordinate clauses: • verb fronting and topicalisation blocked

  7. Verb fronting and topicalisation • Main clauses • hehæfde an swiðe ænlice wif ‘he had a most excellent wife’ • þaeoden hie ut ‘then they went out’ • Micelne geleafanhehæfde‘Great faith he had’ • Pattern: topic-(clitic)-verb-rest = verb second Sources: Bruce & Mitchell 1992: 63; van Kemenade 1987: 37

  8. Reanalysis • Not possible in main clauses • SVX only coincidentally if subject topicalised • SVX in subordinate clauses by 1200/1300 through extraposition • SVX in main clauses by analogy • SVX in main clauses not before 1400 • Decliticisation of pronouns Stockwell & Minkova 1991

  9. Extraposition • Subordinate clause • æfter disum gelamp þæt micel manncwealmbecomofer þære Romaniscan leode (...SVX)‘then it happened that a great plague came over the Roman people’ • sme men cewþaþ on Englisc þæt hitsiefeaxede steorra (…SVX) • ær he acenned wæsof Marian (XSVX)‘before He was born of Mary’ • Pattern: verb-final plus extraposition or SV Sources: Bruce & Mitchell 1992: 63; van Kemenade 1987: 37, 39

  10. Word order in Shakespeare • He loves not you. • You do not look on me. • Wilt thou use thy wit? • Wrong I mine enemies? • Do you fear it? • Knows he not thy voice? • Didst thou not say he comes? • Can’st not rule her? • What do you read my lord? Source: Radford 1997: 127

  11. Ongoing change: progressive • Early examples in Beowulf • Shakespeare: “I am dying, Egypt, dying”but also “I come, my queen” • ModE: “Tom is having a bath” • Recent developments: • Tom is having a bath as soon as Arabella is out of the bathroom • Charles is understanding French a lot better since he’s been to France Aitchison 1991: 99, 100

  12. Futurity: be going to • Occasionally in Shakespeare • I’m going to visit the prisoner • Dickens: Oliver Twist • 4 per cent of references to future time • Salinger: Catcher in the rye • 30 per cent of references to future time Aitchison 1991: 100

More Related