The development of English syntax

 

 

OE

The syntactic structure of a language can be described at two levels, the level of phrase, and the level of the sentence. Since OE was largely a synthetic language, the load of syntactic ways of word connection was rather small, and the syntax of the sentence was relatively simple, unless the texts were literal translations from Latin or poems with stereotyped constructions. As a result, coordination prevailed over subordination and complicated syntactical constructions were rare.

The syntacticstructure of a language can be described at the level of phrase and at the level of the sentence. In OE texts we find a variety of word phrases (word groups or patterns):

 

 

A+ S:	- this is a widely used pattern denoting an object as characterized by a property: spe:dig man, tam de:or.; occasionally the adjective follows its head word: micle meras δersce
S + S	the attribute noun is often in the genitive case: hwa:les ba:n
S + V:	Ohthere sǽde
Pr. + V:	he: sǽde, he: e:ode, etc.
V + Pr:	sing me:
V + S:	Ohthere sae:de his hla:fodre, Aelfre:de cyninge
Pr + S:	mi:ne dagas
N + S:	a:n man, twa: tyccenu (two kids)
V + ADV:	gre:tan luflice (greet livingly)
ADV + A:	swi:the spedig
Prep + S	ofer sae: (across the sea) on Angelcynne (in England), for scome (for shame)
Prep + Pron	to: him, mid him (with him)

 

Level of sentences

I. There are 3 ways of expressing syntactical relations: agreement, government, joining.

 

Agreement	Government	Joining:
- attribute groups: agree in gender, number and case: micle meras δersce (large fresh-water lakes) (Dat. Pl.)	Case of noun or pronoun depends on the verb: andsware onfo:n (Acc.); bi:dan windes(Gen.); hyre sa:de(Dat.)	- no formal means:adverb+adjective, etc. swi:the spe:dig man gre:tan freondlice

 

There were also 3-component phrases of the following patterns:

V + S Dat. + S /PR Acc. = sealde hit his me:der (gave it (to) his mother);

V + PREP. + S/PR. = secgan to him, cwae:th to him; and even longer phrases (of 4-5 components).

 

The Sentence

The simple sentence (main parts)

The Subjec t is usually expressed by a substantive or a pronoun. (he: sae:de, Ohthere sae:de)

The Predicate: simple verbal, expressed by the form of one verb or in some cases analytical: Ne con ic noht singan. Hwaethre thu: canst singan (But thou canst sing) Hwaeat sceal ic singan? A nominal predicate is always compound: He: waes swy: the spe: dig man.

Secondary parts:

The object: can be expressed by substantives or pronouns in the accusative, dative or genitive case. There are 2 objects: direct and indirect. Direct object with so called transitive verbs is expressed by a substantive in the accusative case: saegdon sum ha:lig spell (told some holy story). There may be 2 objects, the indirect object, unlike the direct, is in the dative case: sinʒ me:

The Attribute: (addjective, pronoun or numeral or by a substantive in the genitive case), or by a phrase: preposition + substantive: he: waes swy:the spedig man

The Apposition: is found in many OE texts Alfred, King

The Adverbial Modifier may be expressed either by an adverb or by a phrase “preposition + substantive” Tha: e:ode he: ha:m. (then he went home)

The Direct Address: can be represented by a single word or a phrase Cedmon, sing me: hwaethwugu. Sunu mi:n, hlyste mi:nre la:re (my son, listen to my teaching)

Paranthesis are not frequent in OE texts. They are represnted either by adverbs or by phrases” preposition + substantive”: hwaethre thu: meaht singan. (however, thou canst sing.)

 

Word Order

Subject and Predicate:

Declarative sentences: 1) If the sentence opens an adverbial modifier, it is the predicate that usually comes first, the subject following: tha: ongan he: so:na singan (then began he soon to sing).2) normally the subject comes first: Ohthere saede…

Interrogative sentences: the predicate comes first: Hwaet sceal ic singan?

The main parts form, as it were, a kind of frame, which encloses the secondary parts.

There are sentences introduced by ‘hit’ and ‘thae:r:, the prototypes of ‘formal it and” the phrase: there is.

Negation: the number of negative words in a sentence is not limited The most common particle is NE which was placed before the verb and often accompanied by other negative words, mostly na:ht or no:ht. They reinforced the meaning of negation. Ne con ic no:ht singan. Ne could be attached to some verbs, pronouns and adverbs to form single words: he: ne mohte na:n thing gese:on (he could not see anything (na:n form ne + a:n= not one. Hence modern: none, never, neither