Early Modern English: Grammar Flashcards
Standardization
- prescriptive
> rules - subjective
> e.g. Dr. Johnsons Dictionary (1755)
> horses: in England generally given to horses, it support perople in Schotland
OED (Oxford English Dictionary)
aim:
- record every English word from about 1,000 Ad
- documents the etymology, forms, meanings and uses every word
first volume: 1884
last volume 1928
second edition 1989
now: regular online updates
Ending of the 3rd Person Singular
- Verbs
EModE: -eth or eþ for ModE: -s
> Were does the -s for the 3. person Singular come from?
> Middle English: Cursor Mundi
> Middle English: -s in the North; eth or eþ in the South
> South is more conservative and keeps OE ending
> -s first in spoken language
> from about 1650 standard form in writing
> in EModE both endings were used in texts
Grammatical Category: Tense and Aspect
- Verbs
Old English: two (morphological) tenses: present tense and past tense
Early Modern English and Modern English:
differentiate between present tense vs. past tense
From Middle English onwards: extension of grammatical categories for verbs / developement of aspect
- perfective aspect (present perfect)
- progressive aspect (present progressive)
> aspects are not used consistently in Early Modern English
Perfective Aspect
- Perfective Aspect (present perfect) develops
- EModE: perfective aspect is used more frequently
> But: Many examples in EModE where past tense istead of present perfect
> not used consistently in Early Modern English
Operator Do
Modern English: operator DO is used for:
- questions
- negation
- emphasis
Modern English: fixed rules for use of Operator DO
Early Modern English: no fixed rules at the beginning of the period
> Speakers Decision how to use do
Ongoing Change
- operator Do
- around 1500: do only in about 10 - 20% of all questions and negations
- around 1700: do in about 80% of all questions and negations
- do used for emphasis only very rarely in EModE
Why???????
- Operator Do
Perhaps to solidify SVO structure
Pronouns
- Early Modern English (1500)
2nd Person Plural: you vs. ye
- Changes in the pronoun system
- Beginning of EModE: ye in Nominative, you in Accusative
- 14th century: first instances of you in Nominative
- 15th/ early 16th century: many authors make ye/you - distinction
- 16th century: you used for nominative
- Shakespeare’s time: you = form for nominative and accusative (normal form)
Late 17th century: ye is used infrequently
> you only form for 2nd person plural
> creates snchretism, takes a long time, therefore people often don’t notice
2nd person singular AND plural: thou vs. you/ye
- Changes in the pronoun system
- Original distinction according to number:
- thou = singular
- you/ye = plural
> Introduction of a further distinction in the Middle English period due to French influence
- you/ye - polite form in the singular (second person singular)
- T-V-Distinction (similar to German Sie)
> Usage of the forms
- Social class
- Emotions
Social Class
- 2nd person singular AND plural: thou vs. you/ye
- Changes in the pronoun system
servent to master, child to parent
- you (polite form)
between couples (upper class)
- you (as neutral/ normal form)
master to servent, parent to child
- thou
husband to wife
- thou (polite form (private)
servant to servant (lower class)
- though (netral/ normal form)
Emotions
- 2nd person singular AND plural: thou vs. you/ye
- Changes in the pronoun system
Although you was expected, thou was used
- to express affection
- to express anger/annoyance
3rd person neuter singular prosseive pronoun: it vs. his
- Changes in the pronoun system
- his: possessive form of it - neuter
- his: possessive form of he - masculine
> forms are ambiguous, relations are not clear
avpidance of his neuter, instead: of it or there of was used
new form: its
- assumed to have developed in the second half of the 16th centura (it + possessive ending {-s}
- 1620’s: its normal form, his rare form
1 Shakespeare says: The Earth hath bubbles, as the water has. Explain the endings of the verbs.
- Cursor Mundi (endings of the 3rd pers. sing.)
- Middle English:
> -s in the North
> -eth or -eþ in the South
> South is more conversative and keeops OE ending, -s first in spoken languag and from about 1650 standard form in writing
> in Early Modern English both endings could be used in one text
