1 ENG 590: History of the English Language — Spring 2005: MON & THU 10.30-12.00 Linguistics Section, Department of English Studies — University of Cyprus Kleanthes K. Grohmann (Room M 004, Phone x2106, kleanthi@ucy.ac.cy) March 7, 2005 CLASS 11 : SYNTACTIC PROPERTIES OF MIDDLE ENGLISH IMPERSONAL CONSTRUCTIONS These are constructions whose subject is “pleonastic” it — or there — in NE (a.k.a. dummy, meaningless, expletive), which didn’t exist at all in OE (Class 6), such as: (1) It so happened that they came to a town. [NE] These pronouns were quite often left out in ME: (2) And Ø happed so, they coomen in a toun. [ME] “WEATHER-IT” This is another kind of expletive subject which was more frequently included: (3) Now it shyneth, now it reyneth faste. [ME] “Dropping” these pronouns is perhaps linked to the verb-second rule (Modern Dutch / German have the same rule and allow these pronouns to be dropped in V2). PSYCHOLOGICAL PREDICATES Psychological predicates are predicates expressing emotion or psychological state. (We discussed this construction for OE in Class 6 already.) These involve two semantic roles: Cause and Experiencer. In most languages there are three types: (4) Type I : Norbert likes bagels. subject = experiencer; direct object = cause Type II : Bagels please Norbert. subject = cause; direct object = experiencer Type III : Bagels appeal to Norbert. subject = cause; indirect object = experiencer In ME, many former Type III-psych verbs turn into Type I, e.g.: (5) Þam cyninge licodon peran. [OE] the king.DAT liked.PL pears.NOM ‘Pears liked [appealed] to the king.’ The indirect object is in first position here, not the subject. Owing to SVO replacing V2 order and the loss of dative case to mark indirect objects, (5) turns into (6): (6) The king liked pears. [ME]