Modern english syntax

1. Give the current development of each of the following ME phrases. Comment on the change in the type of syntactic relations between phrase components in MnE.

1) goode hors 2) olde stories 3) sleves longe and wyde 4) clothes blake 5) smale foules 6) olde wordes 7) kempe keeris on his browes stout, his lymes grete, his brawnes harde and stronge.

2. Study the following instances of singular verbs with plural subjects.

1) There is no more masters. 2) Here comes townsmen. 3) His letters beares his mind.

Can you advance any reason for the lack of agreement in each of these EMnE sentences?

3. Comment upon the structure of these EMnE sentences. What would probably be the present-day form of each of these sentences?

1) I not doubt. 2) It not belongs to you. 3) Gives not the hawthorn bush a sweeter shade? 4) Revolt our subjects?

4. What deviations from the type of word order typical of present-day English can be found in the following ME sentences?

1) But honestly and syly he it spente. 2) … that no man wondered how that he it hadde.

5. Comment upon the structure of ME and EMnE sentences given below. Translate them into present-day English.

ME 1) Ther nedeth noght noon auctorite t’allegge, for it is proved by experience, but that me list declaren my sentence. 2) Thenne is it wysdom, as it thynketh me, to maken vertu of necessitee…

EMnE 1) It dislikes me. 2) It yearns me not.

Old English Texts the good samaritan

This version of the parable of the good samaritan (Luke 10:3036) is from a late translation of the Gospels.

Sum man ferde fram Hierusalem to Hiericho, and becom on

A certain man went from Jerusalem to Jericho, and came upon

ða sceaðan; þa hine bereafodon and tintregodon hine, and forleton hine

the thieves; they him robbed and tormented him, and left him

samcucene. Đa gebyrode hit þæt sum sacerd ferde on þam ylcan

half-alive. Then happened it that a certain priest went on the same

wege, and þa he þæt geseah, he hine forbeah. And eall swa se

way, and when he that saw, he him passed by. And also this

diacon, þa he wæs wið þa stowe and þæt geseah, he hyne eac forbeah.

deacon, when he was at the place and that saw, he him also passed by

Đa ferde sum Samaritanisc man wið hine; þa he hine geseah, þa

Then went a certain Samaritan man by him; when he him saw, then

wearð he mid mildheortnesse ofer hine astyred. Đa genealæhte he,

became he with compassion for him stirred up. Then drew near he,

and wrað his wunda and on ageat ele and win, and hine on hys nyten

and bound his wounds and poured on oil and wine, and him on his beast

sette, and gelædde on his læcehus and hine lacnode; and brohte

set, and led to his hospital and him medicated; and brought

oðrum dæge twegen penegas, and sealde þam læce, and þus

on the second day two pennies, and gave to the doctor, and thus

cwæð, “Begym hys, and swa hwæt swa þu mare to gedest,

said, “ Take care of his, and whatsoever thou more besides dost,

þonne ic cume, ic hit forgylde þe.” Hwylc þara þreora þyncð þe

when I come, I it will repay thee.” Which of the three seems to thee

þæt sy þæs mæg þe on ða sceaðan befeoll?

that may be that one’s neighbour who among the thieves fell?

QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS

PROTO-GERMANIC PHONETICS

1. Find in the text the OE counterpart for the Sanskrit demonstrative pronoun tad and comment on consonantal correspondences between the two cognate words.

2. Which of the personal pronouns in the text is related to the Greek demonstrative (e)keĩnos and Russian сей? Substantiate your choice.

3. Find in the text the OE equivalent of the Latin pronoun quid and comment upon the phonetic difference between the two cognates.

4. Explain the absence of [n] in ōþrum (Nom.sg ōþer) and its presence in its Modern German counterpart ander (Sanskrit antaras, Lithuanian añtras). Comment on both vowel and consonantal differences between the cognate words.

5. Which of the prepositions used in the text is etymologically related to Sanskrit madhya – (noun) and Latin medius (adjective)? Explain both vowel and consonantal differences between the three cognates.

6. Find in the text the OE counterpart for the Russian preposition до and comment on the phonetic difference between the two cognates.

7. Find in the text the OE noun etymologically related to the Russian noun дёготь (the latter is a Baltic borrowing, cf. Lithuanian degti “to burn”). Taking into account the Sanskrit verb form dahati “(it) burns”, reconstruct the root of this verb in Proto-Indo-European and Proto-Germanic.

8. Find in the text the OE counterpart for the Latin verb vertere (Russian вертеть) and explain the consonantal correspondences in the cognate words.

9. Which of the OE verbs used in the text is etymologically related to the Latin verb venīre (Sanskrit gam)? Substantiate your choice.

10. Find in the text the OE counterpart for the Latin sēmivīvus and explain the phonetic correspondences between the two cognates.

11. Explain the phonetic differences between the OE noun weZ used in the text and its Gothic counterpart wigs. Reconstruct the root in Proto-Indo-European on the evidence of Latin vehō, Sanskrit vahāmi, Russian везу.

12. Find in the text the OE adverb which is etymologically related to such verbs as OE eacan (MnE eke), Gothic aukan, Latin augere, Lithuanian augti “to glow”, and explain the phonetic correspondences between the cognates.

13. Find in the text the OE equivalent of the Latin verb vetāre “to prohibit”, and explain the phonetic correspondences between the two related forms.

OLD ENGLISH PHONETICS

1. Compare the OE verb fēran with its Old Saxon counterpart forian and explain the root vowel difference between the two related forms. Reconstruct the hypothetical underlying form of the OE verb fēran.

2. What is the origin of the diphthongs in forbeah, Zeseah, wearð, sealde, sceaðan, aZeat, mildheortnesse, befēōll?

3. Find in the text the OE indefinite pronoun which is etymologically related to the OE pronominal adverb same (MnE pronoun same). Which grade of ablaut is represented in the OE pronoun used in the text?

4. Find in the text the OE equivalent of the Old Saxon verb giburian and explain the root vowel in the OE form.

5. How do you account for the absence of [h] in the infinitive of the OE verb sēōn and its presence in seah (the past singular form of the same verb)?

6. Find in the text the OE counterpart for the Gothic form maiza and comment on the phonetic difference between the related forms.

7. Which of the verbs used in the text is related to the Gothic verb saljan? How do you account for the root vowel difference between the two cognates? Explain the doubling of [l] in the infinitive of the OE verb.

OLD ENGLISH MORPHOLOGY

1. Find in the text the OE counterpart for the Modern German pronominal form ihn and determine its case, number and gender.

2. Determine the stem-type of the OE noun man taking into account the way it forms the plural in Modern English.

3. Construct the four principal forms of the verb becuman used in the text.

4. What does the inflexion –an in sceaðan signify? What type of declension is exemplified by this noun?

5. Compare the OE weak verb fēran and the strong verb faran to describe the process by which the former was derived from the latter. (The Old Saxon equivalent of OE fēran is fōrian).

6. Compare þæt in the third line with its homonym in the fourth, and comment on the grammatical difference between the two homonymous forms.

7. State the case, number and gender of the noun form dæZe used in the text.

8. Find in the text the OE counterpart for the Modern English adverb also and explain the origin of the modern form.

9. Identify the tense, person and number of the verb form wrað (line 8). Give the infinitive of this verb.

10. Find in the text the OE equivalent of the Gothic verb satjan and determine its class.

OLD ENGLISH SYNTAX

1. State the structural type of each sentence in the text under analysis.

2. Indicate word order in the sentences/clauses of the text using the following symbols: S – subject; P – predicate; O – object; Adv – adverbial modifier.

3. Determine the type of word order in the sentences/clauses of the text.

4. Comment on the function and meaning of the pronoun hit in the second sentence of the text.

5. Find in the text the sentence with the verb þyncan used in the meaning of “seem” and comment on the structure of the OE sentence and its later development.

6. Find in the text sentences with clauses introduced by þa; comment on differences in word order in such clauses.

7. Find in the text the complex sentence with a subordinate attributive clause and explain how relative patterns are constructed in OE.

8. Determine the type of each phrase in the first two sentences of the text.

9. In the opening sentence of the text identify the syntactic function of the following words: sum, ða, þa, samcucene.

10. Determine the syntactic function of each of the prepositional phrases used in the text.