Adverb-marking patterns in Earlier Modern English coordinate constructions
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Amanda V. Pounder
Abstract
In addition to the common pattern of X-ly and Y-ly in the coordination of adverbs, minority patterns such as X and Y-ly have also been observed in Early Modern and Modern English texts. While the pattern is thought typical of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century texts, examples can be found in current English as well. This paper explores the question of whether the choice between the patterns is due to aesthetic criteria such as eurythmy, the maintenance of symmetry, or a desire to avoid repetition. It concludes that all three may play a role. After considering the theoretical alternatives of paradigmatic selection and morphological ellipsis in the analysis of the choice of the non-suffixed adverb in coordinate constructions, it seems that both strategies are available to English speakers. The morphological ellipsis strategy aligns English with a variety of other languages which use zero morphology in similar constructions.
Abstract
In addition to the common pattern of X-ly and Y-ly in the coordination of adverbs, minority patterns such as X and Y-ly have also been observed in Early Modern and Modern English texts. While the pattern is thought typical of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century texts, examples can be found in current English as well. This paper explores the question of whether the choice between the patterns is due to aesthetic criteria such as eurythmy, the maintenance of symmetry, or a desire to avoid repetition. It concludes that all three may play a role. After considering the theoretical alternatives of paradigmatic selection and morphological ellipsis in the analysis of the choice of the non-suffixed adverb in coordinate constructions, it seems that both strategies are available to English speakers. The morphological ellipsis strategy aligns English with a variety of other languages which use zero morphology in similar constructions.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- Introduction ix
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Part I. Old and Middle English
- The balance between syntax and discourse in Old English 3
- The Old English copula weorðan and its replacement in Middle English 23
- Verb types and word order in Old and Middle English non-coordinate and coordinate clauses 49
- From locative to durative to focalized? The English progressive and 'PROG imperfective drift' 69
- Gender assignment in Old English 89
- On the position of the OE quantifier e all and PDE a ll 109
- On the Post-Finite Misagreement phenomenon in Late Middle English 125
- Syntactic dialectal variation in Middle English 141
- Particles as grammaticalized complex predicates 157
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Part II. Early and Late Modern English
- Adverb-marking patterns in Earlier Modern English coordinate constructions 183
- 'Tis he, 'tis she, 'tis me, 'tis – I don't know who … cleft and identificational constructions in 16th to 18th century English plays 203
- Emotion verbs with to -infinitive complements: From specific to general predication 223
- Subjective progressives in seventeenth and eighteenth century English 241
- Index of subjects & terms 257
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- Introduction ix
-
Part I. Old and Middle English
- The balance between syntax and discourse in Old English 3
- The Old English copula weorðan and its replacement in Middle English 23
- Verb types and word order in Old and Middle English non-coordinate and coordinate clauses 49
- From locative to durative to focalized? The English progressive and 'PROG imperfective drift' 69
- Gender assignment in Old English 89
- On the position of the OE quantifier e all and PDE a ll 109
- On the Post-Finite Misagreement phenomenon in Late Middle English 125
- Syntactic dialectal variation in Middle English 141
- Particles as grammaticalized complex predicates 157
-
Part II. Early and Late Modern English
- Adverb-marking patterns in Earlier Modern English coordinate constructions 183
- 'Tis he, 'tis she, 'tis me, 'tis – I don't know who … cleft and identificational constructions in 16th to 18th century English plays 203
- Emotion verbs with to -infinitive complements: From specific to general predication 223
- Subjective progressives in seventeenth and eighteenth century English 241
- Index of subjects & terms 257
