Loss of wiþer -words in English
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Marta Sylwanowicz
Abstract
The element wiþer is documented in Old English as a separate lexeme and a prefix. Altogether, Bosworth-Toller’s An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary records 69 wiþer-lexemes, which implies that wiþer- was relatively productive and flexible. Generally, wiþer- was added to words with the sense of ‘against’; in rare cases, it denoted ‘in return or compensation’ and ‘in the opposite direction’ (OED). Curiously, the majority of wiþer-lexemes are not recorded in Middle English: merely 24 words occur in MED. The aim of this study is to account for the loss of wiþer-lexemes. Potential causes are linguistic, such as low frequency and the similarity of the prefix wiþer- to wiþ-, and extra-linguistic, including competition with foreign items and changes in pragmatic associations of the words.
Abstract
The element wiþer is documented in Old English as a separate lexeme and a prefix. Altogether, Bosworth-Toller’s An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary records 69 wiþer-lexemes, which implies that wiþer- was relatively productive and flexible. Generally, wiþer- was added to words with the sense of ‘against’; in rare cases, it denoted ‘in return or compensation’ and ‘in the opposite direction’ (OED). Curiously, the majority of wiþer-lexemes are not recorded in Middle English: merely 24 words occur in MED. The aim of this study is to account for the loss of wiþer-lexemes. Potential causes are linguistic, such as low frequency and the similarity of the prefix wiþer- to wiþ-, and extra-linguistic, including competition with foreign items and changes in pragmatic associations of the words.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Syntax and word order
- Parataxis and hypotaxis in the history of English 10
- Two types of left-dislocation in Old English 34
- Subject-verb agreement and the rise of do -support in the period of anglicisation of Scots 53
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Part II. Diachronic linguistic change
- A modern light on diachronic processes affecting coda /l/ in English 82
- Modality and the English subjunctive in noun clauses 103
- Some philological implications of punctuation in editions of Middle English texts 120
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Part III. Lexicography and lexis
- The unfinished double glosses in Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19 144
- Early modern manuscripts containing Old English dictionaries in England and northern Germany 166
- Loss of wiþer -words in English 191
- Investigating the dynamics of the lexicon 212
- Index 233
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Syntax and word order
- Parataxis and hypotaxis in the history of English 10
- Two types of left-dislocation in Old English 34
- Subject-verb agreement and the rise of do -support in the period of anglicisation of Scots 53
-
Part II. Diachronic linguistic change
- A modern light on diachronic processes affecting coda /l/ in English 82
- Modality and the English subjunctive in noun clauses 103
- Some philological implications of punctuation in editions of Middle English texts 120
-
Part III. Lexicography and lexis
- The unfinished double glosses in Durham Cathedral Library, MS A.iv.19 144
- Early modern manuscripts containing Old English dictionaries in England and northern Germany 166
- Loss of wiþer -words in English 191
- Investigating the dynamics of the lexicon 212
- Index 233
