Germanic vs French fixed expressions in Middle English prose: Towards a corpus-based historical English phraseology
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Manfred Markus
Abstract
Based on an analysis of the Innsbruck Prose Corpus, this paper gives evidence of the West Germanic heritage in Middle English fixed expressions. The samples include the non-French and non-modern use of prepositions and of the zeroarticle in prepositional phrases with adjectives (with loud word), moreover some seemingly German but in fact West Germanic idioms in Middle English, twin formulas with and marked by concatenating formal features, such as rhyme, alliteration and repetition, and the special syntagms Adj + N, N + N and a few comparisons with as. A final chapter deals with complex predicates headed byto do, to get, to work and to make. To make + N, as the youngest of the patterns investigated, shows that predicates with the same head may have different ages:to make haste is a relative oldtimer, to make war is an evergreen, and to make love a fairly recent coining.
Abstract
Based on an analysis of the Innsbruck Prose Corpus, this paper gives evidence of the West Germanic heritage in Middle English fixed expressions. The samples include the non-French and non-modern use of prepositions and of the zeroarticle in prepositional phrases with adjectives (with loud word), moreover some seemingly German but in fact West Germanic idioms in Middle English, twin formulas with and marked by concatenating formal features, such as rhyme, alliteration and repetition, and the special syntagms Adj + N, N + N and a few comparisons with as. A final chapter deals with complex predicates headed byto do, to get, to work and to make. To make + N, as the youngest of the patterns investigated, shows that predicates with the same head may have different ages:to make haste is a relative oldtimer, to make war is an evergreen, and to make love a fairly recent coining.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- Introduction ix
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Part I. Pragmatic and stylistic choices
- Politeness in the history of English 3
- The which is most and right harde to answere : Intensifying right and most in earlier English 31
- The diachronic development of the intensifier bloody : A case study in historical pragmatics 53
- Variation and change in the writings of 17th century scientists 75
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Part II. Lexical and semantic change
- The convergence of two need verbs in Middle English 97
- Rivalry among the verbs of wanting 117
- A look at respect : Investigating metonymies in Earle Modern English 139
- Germanic vs French fixed expressions in Middle English prose: Towards a corpus-based historical English phraseology 159
- Latin loanwords of the early modern period: How often did French act as an intermediary? 185
- Disseisin : The lexeme and the legal fact in Early Middle English 203
- Was Old Frech -able borrowable? A diachronic study of word-formation processes due to language contact 217
- Women and other 'small things': -ette as a feminine marker 241
- Index of subjects 259
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- Introduction ix
-
Part I. Pragmatic and stylistic choices
- Politeness in the history of English 3
- The which is most and right harde to answere : Intensifying right and most in earlier English 31
- The diachronic development of the intensifier bloody : A case study in historical pragmatics 53
- Variation and change in the writings of 17th century scientists 75
-
Part II. Lexical and semantic change
- The convergence of two need verbs in Middle English 97
- Rivalry among the verbs of wanting 117
- A look at respect : Investigating metonymies in Earle Modern English 139
- Germanic vs French fixed expressions in Middle English prose: Towards a corpus-based historical English phraseology 159
- Latin loanwords of the early modern period: How often did French act as an intermediary? 185
- Disseisin : The lexeme and the legal fact in Early Middle English 203
- Was Old Frech -able borrowable? A diachronic study of word-formation processes due to language contact 217
- Women and other 'small things': -ette as a feminine marker 241
- Index of subjects 259
