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Aspectual Prefixes in Early English

by Vlatko Broz (Author)
©2014 Monographs XII, 193 Pages

Summary

This book primarily examines verbal prefixes expressing aspectuality in the Old and Middle English periods, but it also takes a look at the post-verbal particles in the subsequent periods of English. Verbal prefixes are also known as preverbs such as ge- in the Old English verb gegladian «cheer up» or ā- in the Old English verb āstreccan «stretch out». Prefixed verbs in Old English are said to be the functional equivalents and predecessors of phrasal verbs in Modern English. One of the aims of the research presented in this book was to consider how no longer productive Old English verbal prefixes such as ge-, ā- and for- were used in the past to express verbal aspect. In this study two avenues of research converge, one covering aspect, the other covering verbal prefixes and particles.

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • About the author(s)/editor(s)
  • About the book
  • This eBook can be cited
  • Contents
  • Acknowledgements
  • Abstract
  • List of tables and figures
  • Abbreviations
  • Chapter 1: Introduction
  • 1.1 Scope of the study
  • 1.2 Research questions and hypothesis
  • 1.3 Theoretical framework
  • 1.4 Structure of the study
  • 1.5 Why preverb?
  • Chapter 2: Aspects of Aspect
  • 2.1 The complexity of aspectual studies
  • 2.2 Aspect Defined
  • 2.3 Aspect Exemplified
  • 2.4 Origins of Aspectology
  • 2.5 Aspect vs. Aktionsart
  • 2.6 Aspect in the 20th Century
  • 2.7 In The Beginning Was Aspect
  • 2.8 Aspect in Slavic Style
  • 2.8.1 Old Church Slavonic
  • 2.8.2 Irregularities of Slavic aspect
  • 2.9 Aspect in Germanic
  • 2.10 Aspectual Categories
  • 2.10.1 Perfective
  • 2.10.2 Imperfective
  • 2.10.3 Telicity
  • 2.10.4 Ingressive
  • 2.10.5 Bounded vs. Non-bounded
  • 2.10.6 Mustanoja’s categories
  • 2.10.7 Conclusion
  • Chapter 3: Previous Studies of Prefixed Verbs and Phrasal Verbs
  • 3.1 De la Cruz (1972, 1975)
  • 3.2. Hiltunen (1983)
  • 3.3 Brinton (1988)..
  • 3.4 Petré (2O05)
  • 3.5 Elenbaas (2007)
  • 3.6 Synchronic research of verb-particles
  • Chapter 4: Theoretical Foundations and Methodology
  • 4.1 Grammaticalization (and Lexicalization) Theory
  • 4.2 Methodological Tools
  • 4.3 Problems in identifying preverbs
  • Chapter 5: An Analysis of the Preverb a-
  • 5.1 Introduction
  • 5.2 Etymology of a-
  • 5.3 A- as a perfectivizer
  • 5.4 Resultative and completive
  • 5.5 Ingressive / inchoative / inceptive
  • 5.6 Instantaneous / Momentous / Punctual
  • 5.7 Contrastive analysis
  • 5.8 Co-Existing Systems of Prefixes and Particles
  • 5.9 Prefix a- in Middle English
  • 5.10 Middle English Additions
  • 5.11 Conclusion
  • Chapter 6: An Analysis of the Preverb ge-
  • 6.1 Introduction
  • 6.2 Previous studies
  • 6.3 The etymology of ge-
  • 6.4 The meanings of ge-
  • 6.5 Empty ge-
  • 6.6 Ge- as a past participle marker
  • 6.7 Ge- as a perfectivizer
  • 6.7 Co-occurrence with ỗa
  • 6.9 Stylistic functions of ge-
  • 6.10 Lexicalization Cases
  • 6.11 Ge- in Middle English
  • 6.12 Conclusion
  • Chapter 7: An Analysis of the Preverb for-
  • 7.1 Introduction
  • 7.2 The meanings and etymology of for-
  • 7.3 Perfectivizing for-
  • 7.4 Lexicalizing for-
  • 7.5 For- in Middle English
  • 7.6 Conclusion
  • Chapter 8: Conclusion
  • References
  • Dictionaries
  • Appendix I: Old English Corpus
  • Appendix II: Middle English Corpus
  • Series index

| x →

List of tables and figures

| xii →

Abbreviations

| 1 →

Chapter 1

Introduction

1.1 Scope of the study

This study primarily examines prefixed verbs or preverbs expressing aspectuality in the Old and Middle English periods, but it also takes a look at the post-verbal particles in the subsequent periods of English. Preverbs are also known as verbal prefixes such as ge- in the Old English verb gegladian ‘cheer up’ or ā- in the Old English verb āstreccan ‘stretch out’, whereas post-verbal particles are preposition-like adverbs that come after a verb and thus comprise a phrasal verb, such as the particle out in Modern English stretch out or the particle up in Modern English cheer up. Prefixed verbs in Old English are said to be the functional equivalents (and predecessors) of phrasal verbs in Modern English. The most frequent Old English prefixes such as a-, ge- and for- are no longer used in English today, so different Modern English particles such as up, out and away have taken over their function.

Preverbs and post-verbal particles are characterized by a frustrating degree of polysemy. The focus of this study is on those preverbs and post-verbal particles whose meaning is aspectual, which is in itself too broad to discuss exhaustively. The discussions and analysis will inevitably touch upon meanings other than aspectual since they tend to form intricate networks. Verbal properties such as unaccusativity and ergativity have not been treated, as have not been Old English modal verbs as preterit perfects, since this domain of verbal aspect is not expressed by prefixes.

One of the aims of this study is to consider how various Old English prefixes such as a- and ge-, which are no longer productive, were used in the past to express aspect when attached to verbs and which post-verbal particles perform their function in Present-Day English.

Other aims include revisiting aspect and expand the current analysis of aspectual systems in English, both diachronically and synchronically and with contrastive insights in relation to Croatian, which is a Slavic language with a morphologically marked aspect. Old English is typologically closer to Croatian than to Modern English.

Details

Pages
XII, 193
Year
2014
ISBN (PDF)
9783653036459
ISBN (ePUB)
9783653991550
ISBN (MOBI)
9783653991543
ISBN (Hardcover)
9783631645291
DOI
10.3726/978-3-653-03645-9
Language
English
Publication date
2014 (June)
Keywords
historische Sprachwissenschaft Partikelverben Präfix Flexion
Published
Frankfurt am Main, Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Wien, 2014. XII, 193 pp., 6 b/w fig., 33 tables

Biographical notes

Vlatko Broz (Author)

Vlatko Broz is Assistant Lecturer at the Department of English at the University of Zagreb (Croatia). He received his PhD in a joint research programme (cotutelle) with the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). He studied Old English and Middle English as a Chevening scholar at the University of Oxford.

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