The clausal complementation of good in extraposition constructions
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An Van linden
Abstract
This article develops a functional synchronicLdiachronic description of the clausal complement patterns found with good in extraposition constructions (ECs), and compares these to the patterns found with other deontic-evaluative adjectives, such as appropriate, important and fitting. The adjectives studied can currently take either mandative complements expressing desired action, or propositional complements describing arguable claims. Good differs from adjectives such as appropriate and important in that it currently favours propositional toLclauses. More specifically, I will argue that it occurs in two types of partially filled constructions in the sense of Goldberg (1995) featuring such complements, viz. the locative pattern and the knowledge/acquisition of knowledge (KAK) pattern. The diachronic data will reveal that good started to prefer propositional toLclauses only recently, amongst others through the emergence of the KAK pattern in Late Modern English and its subsequent rise in frequency. In addition, the presentLday occurrence of purely evaluative adjectives like nice and great in the locative and KAK constructions suggests that analogy with this class of adjectives may have played a role as well.
Abstract
This article develops a functional synchronicLdiachronic description of the clausal complement patterns found with good in extraposition constructions (ECs), and compares these to the patterns found with other deontic-evaluative adjectives, such as appropriate, important and fitting. The adjectives studied can currently take either mandative complements expressing desired action, or propositional complements describing arguable claims. Good differs from adjectives such as appropriate and important in that it currently favours propositional toLclauses. More specifically, I will argue that it occurs in two types of partially filled constructions in the sense of Goldberg (1995) featuring such complements, viz. the locative pattern and the knowledge/acquisition of knowledge (KAK) pattern. The diachronic data will reveal that good started to prefer propositional toLclauses only recently, amongst others through the emergence of the KAK pattern in Late Modern English and its subsequent rise in frequency. In addition, the presentLday occurrence of purely evaluative adjectives like nice and great in the locative and KAK constructions suggests that analogy with this class of adjectives may have played a role as well.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
part iVerbal constructions
- “Þonne hate we hine morgensteorra” 11
- Tracking and explaining variation and change in the grammar of American English 29
- Prevent and the battle of the - ing clauses 45
- Prescription or practice? 63
- On the idiomatization of “ give + O + to ” constructions 79
- The clausal complementation of good in extraposition constructions 95
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part iiModality and (marginal) modals
- The ‘ fail to ’ construction in Late Modern and Present-Day English 123
- The interplay of modal verbs and adverbs 143
- Current change in the modal system of English 165
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part iiiDevelopments in the English noun phrase
- Discontinuous quantificational structures in Old English 185
- Genitive variation in letters, history writing and sermons in Late Middle and Early Modern English 197
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part ivSyntactic variation and change through contact
- On the use of beon and wesan in Old English 217
- The reflexes of OE beon as a marker of futurity in early Middle English 237
- Stylistic fronting in the history of English 255
- Subject and Word index 279
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction 1
-
part iVerbal constructions
- “Þonne hate we hine morgensteorra” 11
- Tracking and explaining variation and change in the grammar of American English 29
- Prevent and the battle of the - ing clauses 45
- Prescription or practice? 63
- On the idiomatization of “ give + O + to ” constructions 79
- The clausal complementation of good in extraposition constructions 95
-
part iiModality and (marginal) modals
- The ‘ fail to ’ construction in Late Modern and Present-Day English 123
- The interplay of modal verbs and adverbs 143
- Current change in the modal system of English 165
-
part iiiDevelopments in the English noun phrase
- Discontinuous quantificational structures in Old English 185
- Genitive variation in letters, history writing and sermons in Late Middle and Early Modern English 197
-
part ivSyntactic variation and change through contact
- On the use of beon and wesan in Old English 217
- The reflexes of OE beon as a marker of futurity in early Middle English 237
- Stylistic fronting in the history of English 255
- Subject and Word index 279
