Bettelou Los
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199274765
- eISBN:
- 9780191705885
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199274765.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This book describes the historical emergence and spread of the to-infinitive in English. It shows that to + infinitive emerged from a reanalysis of the preposition to plus a deverbal nominalization, ...
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This book describes the historical emergence and spread of the to-infinitive in English. It shows that to + infinitive emerged from a reanalysis of the preposition to plus a deverbal nominalization, which spread first to purpose clauses, then to other non-finite environments. The book challenges the traditional reasoning that infinitives must have been nouns in Old English because they inflected for dative case and can follow prepositions. In fact, as early as Old English, the to-infinitive was established in most of the environments in which it is found today, and its syntactic behaviour clearly shows that it is already a clause rather than a phrase at this early date. Its spread was largely due to competition with finite subjunctive that-clauses, which it gradually replaced. Later chapters consider Middle English developments. The book provides a measured evaluation of the evidence that the infinitive marker to undergoes a period of degrammaticalization. It concludes that the extent to which to gains syntactic freedom in Middle English is due to the fact that speakers began to equate it with the modal verbs, and therefore to treat it syntactically as a modal verb. The rise of to-infinitival Exceptional Case-Marking constructions is a Middle English innovation, triggered by changes in information structure that were in turn caused by the loss of verb-second.Less
This book describes the historical emergence and spread of the to-infinitive in English. It shows that to + infinitive emerged from a reanalysis of the preposition to plus a deverbal nominalization, which spread first to purpose clauses, then to other non-finite environments. The book challenges the traditional reasoning that infinitives must have been nouns in Old English because they inflected for dative case and can follow prepositions. In fact, as early as Old English, the to-infinitive was established in most of the environments in which it is found today, and its syntactic behaviour clearly shows that it is already a clause rather than a phrase at this early date. Its spread was largely due to competition with finite subjunctive that-clauses, which it gradually replaced. Later chapters consider Middle English developments. The book provides a measured evaluation of the evidence that the infinitive marker to undergoes a period of degrammaticalization. It concludes that the extent to which to gains syntactic freedom in Middle English is due to the fact that speakers began to equate it with the modal verbs, and therefore to treat it syntactically as a modal verb. The rise of to-infinitival Exceptional Case-Marking constructions is a Middle English innovation, triggered by changes in information structure that were in turn caused by the loss of verb-second.
Jeremy J. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199291953
- eISBN:
- 9780191710568
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199291953.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This chapter begins with a discussion of the strong evidential basis for the Old English-Middle English transition, and then proceeds to discuss the major quantitative sound-changes which ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of the strong evidential basis for the Old English-Middle English transition, and then proceeds to discuss the major quantitative sound-changes which characterize this transition: homorganic lengthening, shortening, and Middle English Open Syllable Lengthening (MEOSL).Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of the strong evidential basis for the Old English-Middle English transition, and then proceeds to discuss the major quantitative sound-changes which characterize this transition: homorganic lengthening, shortening, and Middle English Open Syllable Lengthening (MEOSL).
Andrew King
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198187226
- eISBN:
- 9780191674662
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198187226.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
Scholarship on Middle English romance has done little to access the textual and bibliographical continuity of this remarkable literary tradition into the 16th century and its impact on Elizabethan ...
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Scholarship on Middle English romance has done little to access the textual and bibliographical continuity of this remarkable literary tradition into the 16th century and its impact on Elizabethan works. To an even greater extent, Spenserian scholarship has failed to investigate the significant and complex debts The Faerie Queene owes to medieval native verse romance and Malory's Le Morte D'arthur. This book accordingly offers a comprehensive study of the impact of Middle English romance on The Faerie Queene. It employs the concept of memory, in which both Middle English romance writers and Spenser show specific interest, in building a sense of the thematic, generic, and cultural complexity of the native romance tradition. The memorial character of Middle English romance resides in its intertextuality and its frequent presentation of narrative events as historical and consequently the basis for a favourable sense of local or even national identity. Spenser's memories of native romance involve a more troubled engagement with that tradition of providential national history as well as an endeavour to see in pre-Reformation romance a prophetic and objective authority for Protestant belief.Less
Scholarship on Middle English romance has done little to access the textual and bibliographical continuity of this remarkable literary tradition into the 16th century and its impact on Elizabethan works. To an even greater extent, Spenserian scholarship has failed to investigate the significant and complex debts The Faerie Queene owes to medieval native verse romance and Malory's Le Morte D'arthur. This book accordingly offers a comprehensive study of the impact of Middle English romance on The Faerie Queene. It employs the concept of memory, in which both Middle English romance writers and Spenser show specific interest, in building a sense of the thematic, generic, and cultural complexity of the native romance tradition. The memorial character of Middle English romance resides in its intertextuality and its frequent presentation of narrative events as historical and consequently the basis for a favourable sense of local or even national identity. Spenser's memories of native romance involve a more troubled engagement with that tradition of providential national history as well as an endeavour to see in pre-Reformation romance a prophetic and objective authority for Protestant belief.
Brian Murdoch
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199564149
- eISBN:
- 9780191721328
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199564149.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
There is a very full tradition of vernacular adaptations of the Vita Adae in Middle English prose and verse. Prose versions are independent (as in the Vernon manuscript), or can be incorporated into ...
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There is a very full tradition of vernacular adaptations of the Vita Adae in Middle English prose and verse. Prose versions are independent (as in the Vernon manuscript), or can be incorporated into collections such as the Gilte Legende. There are references in chronicles like that by John Capgrave. Metrical versions include the Canticum de creatione, and there are smaller allusions in the major mystery cycles. Welsh versions are known in prose and verse, but seem not to be connected with other Celtic versions. In the Cornish drama, there is much influence of the Holy Rood material, but little evidence of knowledge of the Vita Adae, although there are other Adam legends present.Less
There is a very full tradition of vernacular adaptations of the Vita Adae in Middle English prose and verse. Prose versions are independent (as in the Vernon manuscript), or can be incorporated into collections such as the Gilte Legende. There are references in chronicles like that by John Capgrave. Metrical versions include the Canticum de creatione, and there are smaller allusions in the major mystery cycles. Welsh versions are known in prose and verse, but seem not to be connected with other Celtic versions. In the Cornish drama, there is much influence of the Holy Rood material, but little evidence of knowledge of the Vita Adae, although there are other Adam legends present.
Cynthia L. Allen
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199216680
- eISBN:
- 9780191711893
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199216680.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, English Language
By the end of the Middle English period, the -s genitive in Middle English had changed its character. This chapter documents the evidence for the nature of this possessive marker in Early and Late ...
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By the end of the Middle English period, the -s genitive in Middle English had changed its character. This chapter documents the evidence for the nature of this possessive marker in Early and Late Middle English as well as the rise of the group genitive.Less
By the end of the Middle English period, the -s genitive in Middle English had changed its character. This chapter documents the evidence for the nature of this possessive marker in Early and Late Middle English as well as the rise of the group genitive.
Malcolm Hebron
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198186205
- eISBN:
- 9780191674440
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198186205.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
Sieges were a popular subject in medieval romances. Tales of the Crusades featured champions of Christianity capturing towns in the Holy Land or mounting heroic defences. The fall of a great city ...
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Sieges were a popular subject in medieval romances. Tales of the Crusades featured champions of Christianity capturing towns in the Holy Land or mounting heroic defences. The fall of a great city such as Troy, Thebes, or Jerusalem provided opportunities for the recreation of ancient chivalry and for reflections on historical change. Images of the siege in romances also point to other forms, such as drama and love allegory, where it represents the trial of the soul or the pursuit of the beloved. This book is the first full-length study of this important theme in medieval literature. Close reading of selected Middle English shows how writers used descriptions of sieges to explore such subjects as military strategy, heroism, chivalry, and attitudes to the past. This study also draws on a wide range of writings in several languages, to set the romances in a broad context. When they are seen against a background of military manuals, patristic commentary, pageantry, and love poetry, the sieges of romance take on deeper resonances of meaning and reflect the vitality of the theme in medieval culture as a whole.Less
Sieges were a popular subject in medieval romances. Tales of the Crusades featured champions of Christianity capturing towns in the Holy Land or mounting heroic defences. The fall of a great city such as Troy, Thebes, or Jerusalem provided opportunities for the recreation of ancient chivalry and for reflections on historical change. Images of the siege in romances also point to other forms, such as drama and love allegory, where it represents the trial of the soul or the pursuit of the beloved. This book is the first full-length study of this important theme in medieval literature. Close reading of selected Middle English shows how writers used descriptions of sieges to explore such subjects as military strategy, heroism, chivalry, and attitudes to the past. This study also draws on a wide range of writings in several languages, to set the romances in a broad context. When they are seen against a background of military manuals, patristic commentary, pageantry, and love poetry, the sieges of romance take on deeper resonances of meaning and reflect the vitality of the theme in medieval culture as a whole.
Andrew King
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198187226
- eISBN:
- 9780191674662
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198187226.003.0002
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
This chapter examines Middle English romance as a native tradition. It also discusses the history of the readership of native romance and its importance for judging Spenser's strategy in ...
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This chapter examines Middle English romance as a native tradition. It also discusses the history of the readership of native romance and its importance for judging Spenser's strategy in incorporating tradition in The Faerie Queene. The continued reading of Middle English romance in medieval manuscripts is significant in relation to Spenser since this allows for the possibility that he encountered the romances in this form. Romances in print are deprived from their manuscript ‘home’ — the context of other romances, historical works, saints' lives, and other kinds of writing — which can adjust a reader's perception of a work's generic and thematic value. Just as The Shepheardes Calender presents the sense of being an earlier, ‘edited’ text, so too The Faerie Queene might be likened to a manuscript-anthology, particularly in terms of its structure.Less
This chapter examines Middle English romance as a native tradition. It also discusses the history of the readership of native romance and its importance for judging Spenser's strategy in incorporating tradition in The Faerie Queene. The continued reading of Middle English romance in medieval manuscripts is significant in relation to Spenser since this allows for the possibility that he encountered the romances in this form. Romances in print are deprived from their manuscript ‘home’ — the context of other romances, historical works, saints' lives, and other kinds of writing — which can adjust a reader's perception of a work's generic and thematic value. Just as The Shepheardes Calender presents the sense of being an earlier, ‘edited’ text, so too The Faerie Queene might be likened to a manuscript-anthology, particularly in terms of its structure.
Andrew King
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198187226
- eISBN:
- 9780191674662
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198187226.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
Spenser's reception of the rich and complex imaginative, historical, and political traditions involved in Middle English romance is an aspect of The Faerie Queene which has been grossly neglected. ...
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Spenser's reception of the rich and complex imaginative, historical, and political traditions involved in Middle English romance is an aspect of The Faerie Queene which has been grossly neglected. Many areas and topics relating to Spenser's interaction with Middle English romance remain untouched, such as his completion in Book IV of Chaucer's Squire's Tale. This book has dealt only with Books I, II, and V because they arguably present a coherent narrative of response to native romance which does not necessitate detailed consideration of the convergent influences of Ariosto and Tasso; opening the door to Italianate romance, necessary in consideration of other books, would have resulted in a much larger, and possibly more diffuse study. The general neglect of interest in Spenser's use of native romance hopefully justifies a focused and single-minded book such as this.Less
Spenser's reception of the rich and complex imaginative, historical, and political traditions involved in Middle English romance is an aspect of The Faerie Queene which has been grossly neglected. Many areas and topics relating to Spenser's interaction with Middle English romance remain untouched, such as his completion in Book IV of Chaucer's Squire's Tale. This book has dealt only with Books I, II, and V because they arguably present a coherent narrative of response to native romance which does not necessitate detailed consideration of the convergent influences of Ariosto and Tasso; opening the door to Italianate romance, necessary in consideration of other books, would have resulted in a much larger, and possibly more diffuse study. The general neglect of interest in Spenser's use of native romance hopefully justifies a focused and single-minded book such as this.
Tim William Machan
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199282128
- eISBN:
- 9780191718991
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282128.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, English Language
This chapter explores the ways in which linguistic beliefs convey meaning. It considers both the role of English within the linguistic repertoire of the period (its relations to Latin and French in ...
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This chapter explores the ways in which linguistic beliefs convey meaning. It considers both the role of English within the linguistic repertoire of the period (its relations to Latin and French in particular) and the relative status among varieties of English.Less
This chapter explores the ways in which linguistic beliefs convey meaning. It considers both the role of English within the linguistic repertoire of the period (its relations to Latin and French in particular) and the relative status among varieties of English.
Richard Dance
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780197265864
- eISBN:
- 9780191772016
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265864.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, World Early Modern History
English vocabulary owes an enormous debt to the other languages of medieval Britain. Arguably, nowhere is this debt more significant than in the 12th century—a complex and fascinating period of ...
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English vocabulary owes an enormous debt to the other languages of medieval Britain. Arguably, nowhere is this debt more significant than in the 12th century—a complex and fascinating period of ‘transition’, when (amongst many other things) influence from both Norse and French is increasingly apparent in writing. This article explores the etymologies, semantics and textual contexts of some key words from this crucial time, as a way to think about the evidence for contact and change at the boundary of Old and Middle English, and to illustrate how rich, diverse, challenging and surprising its voices can be. It concludes with a case study of words meaning ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ in Old and early Middle English, concentrating on the vocabulary of the manuscript Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bodley 343.Less
English vocabulary owes an enormous debt to the other languages of medieval Britain. Arguably, nowhere is this debt more significant than in the 12th century—a complex and fascinating period of ‘transition’, when (amongst many other things) influence from both Norse and French is increasingly apparent in writing. This article explores the etymologies, semantics and textual contexts of some key words from this crucial time, as a way to think about the evidence for contact and change at the boundary of Old and Middle English, and to illustrate how rich, diverse, challenging and surprising its voices can be. It concludes with a case study of words meaning ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ in Old and early Middle English, concentrating on the vocabulary of the manuscript Oxford, Bodleian Library, Bodley 343.
Kleanthes K. Grohmann and Richard Ingham
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199560547
- eISBN:
- 9780191721267
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199560547.003.0018
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Historical Linguistics
This chapter deals with a grammatical phenomenon in Late Middle English here identified as Postfinite Misagreement, in which a finite singular auxiliary form co‐occurs with a plural subject in ...
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This chapter deals with a grammatical phenomenon in Late Middle English here identified as Postfinite Misagreement, in which a finite singular auxiliary form co‐occurs with a plural subject in post‐finite position. It is proposed that an expletive subject played a role in agreement which it has not retained in standard present‐day English.Less
This chapter deals with a grammatical phenomenon in Late Middle English here identified as Postfinite Misagreement, in which a finite singular auxiliary form co‐occurs with a plural subject in post‐finite position. It is proposed that an expletive subject played a role in agreement which it has not retained in standard present‐day English.
Christine Franzen
- Published in print:
- 1991
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198117421
- eISBN:
- 9780191670954
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198117421.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
One important aspect of the tremulous scribe's work is the layer of Middle English glosses in MSS C, E, and G. This layer is not only in his hand but is his earliest layer of glossing. It is ...
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One important aspect of the tremulous scribe's work is the layer of Middle English glosses in MSS C, E, and G. This layer is not only in his hand but is his earliest layer of glossing. It is therefore of considerable importance to attempt to describe what was happening in this early stage of his work and why he may have switched to glossing in Latin. In order to do so, this chapter considers all of the tremulous hand's early work in Middle English, beginning with his copy of Worcester Cathedral MS F. 174. His marks and Middle English glosses in MSS C, E, and G provide the best evidence as to how he treated his exemplars in F. 174. This chapter suggests that the marks and Middle English glosses in MSS C, E, and G are the work of a corrector, preparing the manuscripts to be copied, and that a similar process of updating punctuation, spelling, word division, and vocabulary must underlie F. 174. The tremulous scribe appears to have encountered problems when he attempted to translate standard late West Saxon Old English into Middle English.Less
One important aspect of the tremulous scribe's work is the layer of Middle English glosses in MSS C, E, and G. This layer is not only in his hand but is his earliest layer of glossing. It is therefore of considerable importance to attempt to describe what was happening in this early stage of his work and why he may have switched to glossing in Latin. In order to do so, this chapter considers all of the tremulous hand's early work in Middle English, beginning with his copy of Worcester Cathedral MS F. 174. His marks and Middle English glosses in MSS C, E, and G provide the best evidence as to how he treated his exemplars in F. 174. This chapter suggests that the marks and Middle English glosses in MSS C, E, and G are the work of a corrector, preparing the manuscripts to be copied, and that a similar process of updating punctuation, spelling, word division, and vocabulary must underlie F. 174. The tremulous scribe appears to have encountered problems when he attempted to translate standard late West Saxon Old English into Middle English.
Tim William Machan
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199282128
- eISBN:
- 9780191718991
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282128.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, English Language
This chapter examines two royal letters that were written in English and released by Henry III in 1258. These letters are used to talk about the many contextual factors that give utterances and codes ...
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This chapter examines two royal letters that were written in English and released by Henry III in 1258. These letters are used to talk about the many contextual factors that give utterances and codes their social meanings. It asks how the status of a language such as Middle English comes into being.Less
This chapter examines two royal letters that were written in English and released by Henry III in 1258. These letters are used to talk about the many contextual factors that give utterances and codes their social meanings. It asks how the status of a language such as Middle English comes into being.
Tim William Machan
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199282128
- eISBN:
- 9780191718991
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199282128.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics, English Language
This chapter considers how the status of a language can figure in cultural activity by looking at two late-medieval poems: Chaucer's Reeve's Tale and the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. ...
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This chapter considers how the status of a language can figure in cultural activity by looking at two late-medieval poems: Chaucer's Reeve's Tale and the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Their implications for the significance of social and regional variation in Middle English are considered.Less
This chapter considers how the status of a language can figure in cultural activity by looking at two late-medieval poems: Chaucer's Reeve's Tale and the anonymous Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Their implications for the significance of social and regional variation in Middle English are considered.
Bettelou Los
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199274765
- eISBN:
- 9780191705885
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199274765.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This chapter presents an overview of issues of the to-infinitive discussed in the literature. It is usually assumed that the infinitive is a noun in Old English, and that, hence, the to-infinitive is ...
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This chapter presents an overview of issues of the to-infinitive discussed in the literature. It is usually assumed that the infinitive is a noun in Old English, and that, hence, the to-infinitive is a prepositional phrase; this entails that there has been a category change, which is usually argued to have taken place in Middle English. The author argues that the category change must predate Old English, as the to-infinitive is already completely verbal at that stage, which means that the syntactic innovations in Middle English cannot be due to a category change. Another traditional assumption that is discussed and rejected is the view that the to-infinitive gained ground at the expense of the infinitive without to, the so-called ‘bare infinitive’.Less
This chapter presents an overview of issues of the to-infinitive discussed in the literature. It is usually assumed that the infinitive is a noun in Old English, and that, hence, the to-infinitive is a prepositional phrase; this entails that there has been a category change, which is usually argued to have taken place in Middle English. The author argues that the category change must predate Old English, as the to-infinitive is already completely verbal at that stage, which means that the syntactic innovations in Middle English cannot be due to a category change. Another traditional assumption that is discussed and rejected is the view that the to-infinitive gained ground at the expense of the infinitive without to, the so-called ‘bare infinitive’.
Ad Putter
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780197265833
- eISBN:
- 9780191771996
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265833.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
This chapter examines the use of multiple languages, and particularly the co-existence of English and French items, in one and the same codex, focusing on miscellanies from the 13th to the 15th ...
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This chapter examines the use of multiple languages, and particularly the co-existence of English and French items, in one and the same codex, focusing on miscellanies from the 13th to the 15th centuries. It argues that the question of whether scribes mixed French and English texts in manuscript miscellanies depended not just on chronology but also on the types of text they copied. To substantiate this case, I compare the situation of romances, which rarely circulated with French-language companions in manuscript, with those of lyrics, which mixed freely with French lyrics. The association of the lyric with francophone culture explains why English and French lyrics continued to be copied alongside each other in medieval manuscripts.Less
This chapter examines the use of multiple languages, and particularly the co-existence of English and French items, in one and the same codex, focusing on miscellanies from the 13th to the 15th centuries. It argues that the question of whether scribes mixed French and English texts in manuscript miscellanies depended not just on chronology but also on the types of text they copied. To substantiate this case, I compare the situation of romances, which rarely circulated with French-language companions in manuscript, with those of lyrics, which mixed freely with French lyrics. The association of the lyric with francophone culture explains why English and French lyrics continued to be copied alongside each other in medieval manuscripts.
Kristin Bech
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199860210
- eISBN:
- 9780199949601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199860210.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter explores the connection between word order and discourse relations in Old English (OE), while also taking information structure into account. The focus is on verb-final declarative ...
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This chapter explores the connection between word order and discourse relations in Old English (OE), while also taking information structure into account. The focus is on verb-final declarative clauses. It first introduces framework for the analysis of discourse relations and then presents data showing the development of verb-final word order from Old to Middle English. It then outlines the relation between verb-final word order and information structure. Finally, it analyzes and studies the discourse relations of verb-final clauses in some detail, with reference to the distinction between coordinating and subordinating discourse relations as outlined in Segmented Discourse Representation Theory. The basic idea is that some parts of the text play a subordinate role relative to other parts. The chapter shows that verb-final main clauses in OE are primarily associated with discourse coordination rather than subordination. In other words, verb-final clauses do not contrast with V2 clauses with respect to discourse relations, and it therefore remains unclear whether discourse relations play a role in word order variation in Old English.Less
This chapter explores the connection between word order and discourse relations in Old English (OE), while also taking information structure into account. The focus is on verb-final declarative clauses. It first introduces framework for the analysis of discourse relations and then presents data showing the development of verb-final word order from Old to Middle English. It then outlines the relation between verb-final word order and information structure. Finally, it analyzes and studies the discourse relations of verb-final clauses in some detail, with reference to the distinction between coordinating and subordinating discourse relations as outlined in Segmented Discourse Representation Theory. The basic idea is that some parts of the text play a subordinate role relative to other parts. The chapter shows that verb-final main clauses in OE are primarily associated with discourse coordination rather than subordination. In other words, verb-final clauses do not contrast with V2 clauses with respect to discourse relations, and it therefore remains unclear whether discourse relations play a role in word order variation in Old English.
Ans van Kemenade and Marit Westergaard
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199860210
- eISBN:
- 9780199949601
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199860210.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter discusses the relationship between syntax and information structure (IS), focusing on the variation between verb-second (V2) and non-V2 word order in Middle English. It incorporates ...
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This chapter discusses the relationship between syntax and information structure (IS), focusing on the variation between verb-second (V2) and non-V2 word order in Middle English. It incorporates recent insights from first language acquisition in varieties of Norwegian, where variable V2 word orders are very similar to those found in the history of English, and follows up recent work that shows that IS is an important factor in determining word order choices in Old English. It traces the variation between V2 (subject-verb inversion) and non-V2 (X-subject-Vf word order) for nominal and pronominal subjects in some detail over the various subperiods in Middle English, pinpointing the role of syntax and of IS in shaping the variation attested. Core issues are the mapping between specific syntactic positions and IS sensitivity as well as the mutual impact of IS and syntax. Several small changes in the process from V2 to non-V2 are attested, and these are analyzed within a model of micro-cues, where small steps in the process are considered to be grammar changes in the I-language.Less
This chapter discusses the relationship between syntax and information structure (IS), focusing on the variation between verb-second (V2) and non-V2 word order in Middle English. It incorporates recent insights from first language acquisition in varieties of Norwegian, where variable V2 word orders are very similar to those found in the history of English, and follows up recent work that shows that IS is an important factor in determining word order choices in Old English. It traces the variation between V2 (subject-verb inversion) and non-V2 (X-subject-Vf word order) for nominal and pronominal subjects in some detail over the various subperiods in Middle English, pinpointing the role of syntax and of IS in shaping the variation attested. Core issues are the mapping between specific syntactic positions and IS sensitivity as well as the mutual impact of IS and syntax. Several small changes in the process from V2 to non-V2 are attested, and these are analyzed within a model of micro-cues, where small steps in the process are considered to be grammar changes in the I-language.
Ruth Möhlig-Falke
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199777723
- eISBN:
- 9780199933310
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199777723.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
The morphosyntactic analysis of the verbs that were capable of impersonal use in Old English (OE) was undertaken with the aim of determining the role that the impersonal construction had in the OE ...
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The morphosyntactic analysis of the verbs that were capable of impersonal use in Old English (OE) was undertaken with the aim of determining the role that the impersonal construction had in the OE grammatical system, its function, and use. This chapter places the findings for OE into the context of the further diachronic development of impersonal verbs and the impersonal construction in Middle English (ME) and Early Modern English (EModE). Since a corpus study of ME and EModE is outside the scope of the present investigation, all statements made here either rely on the evidence provided by the Middle English Dictionary and Oxford English Dictionary online resources or on secondary literature. The material is preselected for the purpose of pointing out tendencies in the diachronic development of individual verbs and their range of syntactic uses, such as the loss of impersonal uses and the development of syntactic alternatives.Less
The morphosyntactic analysis of the verbs that were capable of impersonal use in Old English (OE) was undertaken with the aim of determining the role that the impersonal construction had in the OE grammatical system, its function, and use. This chapter places the findings for OE into the context of the further diachronic development of impersonal verbs and the impersonal construction in Middle English (ME) and Early Modern English (EModE). Since a corpus study of ME and EModE is outside the scope of the present investigation, all statements made here either rely on the evidence provided by the Middle English Dictionary and Oxford English Dictionary online resources or on secondary literature. The material is preselected for the purpose of pointing out tendencies in the diachronic development of individual verbs and their range of syntactic uses, such as the loss of impersonal uses and the development of syntactic alternatives.
Andrew King
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198187226
- eISBN:
- 9780191674662
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198187226.003.0003
- Subject:
- Literature, 16th-century and Renaissance Literature, Early and Medieval Literature
This chapter explores the intertextuality of a selection of Middle English romances — King Horn, Havelok, Of Arthour and of Merlin, Richard Coeur de Lion Sir Brevis of Hampton, and ...
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This chapter explores the intertextuality of a selection of Middle English romances — King Horn, Havelok, Of Arthour and of Merlin, Richard Coeur de Lion Sir Brevis of Hampton, and Guy of Warwick — and looks at their overlapping of themes and narratives patterns and their generic ambiguity reflected in the physical evidence of their collection and contextualization in manuscripts. These narratives, particularly the story of King Horn, illustrates the providential treatment of history which defines the romance mode. This perspective will remain important to the native romances which follow as well as to The Faerie Queene.Less
This chapter explores the intertextuality of a selection of Middle English romances — King Horn, Havelok, Of Arthour and of Merlin, Richard Coeur de Lion Sir Brevis of Hampton, and Guy of Warwick — and looks at their overlapping of themes and narratives patterns and their generic ambiguity reflected in the physical evidence of their collection and contextualization in manuscripts. These narratives, particularly the story of King Horn, illustrates the providential treatment of history which defines the romance mode. This perspective will remain important to the native romances which follow as well as to The Faerie Queene.
