Word order in Old English prose and poetry: The position of finite verb and adverbs

The Metres of Boethiusoffer a unique opportunity to study the complex subject of Old English verse syntax. They enjoy this distinction because of the unusual way in which they were composed. The versifier did not work directly from the original Latinmetraof Boethius'sConsolation of Philosophybut from an Old English prose intermediary, freely translated from the Latin originals. King Alfred was the author of the prose translation and was probably also responsible for turning the parts of the prose corresponding to the Latinmetrainto Old English verse. Since a copy of the prose model survives, it affords us an opportunity to compare the two versions in order to judge the versifier's debt to the prose. He apparently followed it quite faithfully and without referring back to the Latin originals. In many verse passages one can find words and half-lines which are direct transcriptions from the prose. Consequently the Old EnglishMetresare generally considered nothing more than prose expanded into verse, adding only ‘poetic’ embellishments (like repetition and variation) and obvious morals drawn from the passage. The fruit of the versifier's labours may be uninspired poetry, but the way that he rearranged the words of the prose offers a rare glimpse into the more elusive conventions of verse-making. Since the many similarities make the differences quite pronounced, the poetical shortcomings of theMetresmay be a blessing. A mediocre versifier is more likely to compose mechanically and to imitate established patterns than a good poet, whose virtuosity often conceals the rudiments of his craft.

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On the historical core of V2 in Germanic

Nordic Journal of Linguistics ◽

10.1017/s0332586503001082 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 195-231 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Eric Fuss

Keyword(s):

Middle English ◽

Old English ◽

Word Order ◽

Basic Properties ◽

Initial Element ◽

Lower Position ◽

History Of ◽

Historical System ◽

Finite Verb

This paper focuses on the origin of the V2 property in the history of Germanic. Considering data from Gothic and Old English (OE), it is suggested that the historical core of the V2 phenomenon reduces to V-to-C movement that is triggered in operator contexts. Therefore, the historical system shares basic properties with limited V2 in Modern English. It is shown that apparent deviations from this pattern that can be observed in Gothic can be attributed to the influence of Greek word order. Concerning the apparently more elaborate V2 properties of OE, it is claimed that a large part of them in fact do not involve a Spec-head relation, but rather result from linear adjacency between the clause-initial element and a finite verb located in T0. Special attention is paid to the placement of pronominal subjects in OE, which are claimed to occupy SpecTP. This contrasts with a lower position of full subjects due to the absence of an EPP in OE. Finally, the loss of superficial V2 orders in the Middle English period is attributed to the development of an EPP feature in T.

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Diagnosing embedded V2 in Old English and Old French

10.1093/oso/9780198747840.003.0011 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Christine Meklenborg Salvesen ◽

George Walkden

Keyword(s):

Old English ◽

Word Order ◽

Old French ◽

Left Periphery ◽

Verb Second ◽

The Matrix ◽

Matrix Verb ◽

Finite Verb

Old English (OE) and Old French (OF) both display verb-second (V2) word order in main declarative clauses. Different models may account for V2: (a) the finite verb must move to a head in the CP field; (b) it must remain in the IP field; or (c) it moves to the left periphery only when the preceding XP is not a subject. While the IP-model should allow free embedded V2, the two others would either exclude completely or strongly limit the possibilty of having embedded V2. We select embedded that-clauses and analyse the word order with respect to the matrix verb: embedded V2 is possible in both OE and OF, although the availability of this structure is restricted. OE has very few occurrences of embedded V2, whereas OF seems to permit this construction more freely. We link this difference to the site of first Merge of complementizers in the two languages.

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Old ‘truths’, new corpora: revisiting the word order of conjunct clauses in Old English

English Language and Linguistics ◽

10.1017/s1360674315000465 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 1-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

KRISTIN BECH

Keyword(s):

Nineteenth Century ◽

Old English ◽

Word Order ◽

Entire Body ◽

English Prose ◽

Starting Point ◽

Point Of Departure

In Bech (2001a, 2001b), I took issue with the oft-repeated claim that Old English conjunct main clauses are commonly verb-final, and disproved it. However, the myth persists. In the meantime, theYork–Toronto–Helsinki Parsed Corpus of Old English Prose(YCOE, Tayloret al.2003) has been created, so the time has come to revisit this topic and consider it in light of new, extensive and generally accessible data. Using the YCOE corpus, I confirm and expand on Bech's (2001a, 2001b) empirical findings, showing that (i) OE conjunct clauses are neither typically verb-final nor verb-late, but they are more frequently verb-final and verb-late than non-conjunct clauses are; and (ii) verb-final and verb-late clauses are typically conjunct clauses. These two perspectives must be kept apart: in the first, the starting point is the entire body of conjunct clauses, and in the second it is the entire body of verb-final/verb-late clauses. I propose that the failure to distinguish between the two perspectives, i.e. whether it is conjunct clauses or word order that constitutes the point of departure, is the origin of the misconception concerning conjunct clauses and word order. In order to establish whether this distinction has been fuzzy all along, or whether it must be ascribed to distorted referencing in the course of a century of research, I trace the research on this topic back to the end of the nineteenth century. I show that the alleged verb-finality of conjunct clauses may be ascribed to awhisper-down-the-laneeffect – the retelling of the story has changed the story.

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Ne + infinitive constructions in Old English

English Language and Linguistics ◽

10.1017/s1360674312000202 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 487-518

Author(s):

LINDA VAN BERGEN

Keyword(s):

Old English ◽

Formal Analysis ◽

Negative Concord ◽

Limited Evidence ◽

Negative Particle ◽

English Prose ◽

Finite Verb

The occurrence of the Old English negative particle ne ‘not’ preceding a bare infinitive rather than a finite verb is a largely neglected or overlooked phenomenon. It is attested in constructions with uton ‘let's’ and in conjoined clauses with omission of the finite verb (Mitchell 1985). This article discusses evidence gathered mainly from the York–Toronto–Helsinki Parsed Corpus of Old English Prose, showing that it is a phenomenon that needs to be taken seriously in descriptions and analyses of Old English. It is argued that the factor shared by the two constructions is the lack of an available finite verb for ne to attach to. It is also found that the use of ne for the purpose of negative concord appears to be more variable with infinitives than it is with finite verbs. Whether attachment of ne to a non-finite verb in the absence of a finite one is restricted to bare infinitives is difficult to determine because of the limited evidence relating to other non-finite forms, but there are some indications that use of ne may have been possible with present participles. Finally, some implications that the ne + infinitive pattern has for the formal analysis of Old English are discussed.

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Women Saints' Lives in Old English Prose (review)

Parergon ◽

10.1353/pgn.2011.0168 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 177-179

Author(s):

Antonina Harbus

Keyword(s):

Old English ◽

Women Saints ◽

English Prose

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Tamar, Widowhood, and the Old English Prose Translation of Genesis

Anglia - Zeitschrift für englische Philologie ◽

10.1515/ang-2020-0050 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 138 (4) ◽

pp. 586-617

Author(s):

A. Joseph McMullen ◽

Chelsea Shields-Más

Keyword(s):

Old English ◽

Turn Of The Millennium ◽

Biblical Narrative ◽

English Prose ◽

Early English

AbstractRecently, more attention has been paid to the conscious translation efforts that produced the Old English Hexateuch/Heptateuch, examining how a number of revisions must be analyzed as an effort to control readerly interpretation. This study contributes to that discussion by considering the translation of Genesis 38, which greatly changes the biblical narrative by removing Tamar’s second marriage and any rationale for the death of her first husband. Previously, this omission has been read as a way to streamline the story or avoid unsavory (sexual) topics. We argue, instead, for another, concurrent possibility: to revise the text in light of pre-Conquest views on widowhood. The turn of the millennium saw early English widows gain much more attention in various legal and ecclesiastical sources. These sources, we believe, speak to the concerns of the translator in some of the alterations found in the chapter (including forced remarriage, multiple marriages, the amount of time in between marriages, and the Levirate custom as an institution).

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