Incipient Grammaticalisation
-
Robert Mailhammer
Abstract
In this paper we deal with Old English and Old High German copula constructions combining verbs denoting ‘be’ and ‘become’ with past participles, which are traditionally analysed as periphrastic passive constructions. We propose that these constructions cannot be seen as grammaticalised passives but rather as fully compositional structures. We investigate these constructions from an aspectual perspective and argue that the passive is only one of several possible readings for these constructions, though one that follows logically from certain combinations. In particular, we show that the copula verbs act as aspect operators that select different parts of the event structure of the past participle, and that transitivity is the crucial factor that gives rise to passive readings. As a conclusion, we outline a detailed corpus investigation in order to catalogue all possible readings and then ultimately make a contribution to the different developments of the passive in English and German.
Abstract
In this paper we deal with Old English and Old High German copula constructions combining verbs denoting ‘be’ and ‘become’ with past participles, which are traditionally analysed as periphrastic passive constructions. We propose that these constructions cannot be seen as grammaticalised passives but rather as fully compositional structures. We investigate these constructions from an aspectual perspective and argue that the passive is only one of several possible readings for these constructions, though one that follows logically from certain combinations. In particular, we show that the copula verbs act as aspect operators that select different parts of the event structure of the past participle, and that transitivity is the crucial factor that gives rise to passive readings. As a conclusion, we outline a detailed corpus investigation in order to catalogue all possible readings and then ultimately make a contribution to the different developments of the passive in English and German.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- * haitan in Gothic and Old English 17
- Incipient Grammaticalisation 41
- Passive auxiliaries in English and German 71
- Causative habban in Old English 101
- Remembering ( ge)munan 127
- The emergence of modal meanings from haben with zu -infinitives in Old High German 151
- Hearsay and lexical evidentials in Old Germanic languages, with focus on Old English 169
- Markers of Futurity in Old High German and Old English 195
- The Verb to be in the West Saxon Gospels and the Lindisfarne Gospels 217
- Aspectual properties of the verbal prefix a - in Old English with reference to Gothic 235
- Þǣr wæs vs. thâr was 263
- On gain and loss of verbal categories in language contact 289
- Index 313
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- * haitan in Gothic and Old English 17
- Incipient Grammaticalisation 41
- Passive auxiliaries in English and German 71
- Causative habban in Old English 101
- Remembering ( ge)munan 127
- The emergence of modal meanings from haben with zu -infinitives in Old High German 151
- Hearsay and lexical evidentials in Old Germanic languages, with focus on Old English 169
- Markers of Futurity in Old High German and Old English 195
- The Verb to be in the West Saxon Gospels and the Lindisfarne Gospels 217
- Aspectual properties of the verbal prefix a - in Old English with reference to Gothic 235
- Þǣr wæs vs. thâr was 263
- On gain and loss of verbal categories in language contact 289
- Index 313
