Selected Papers from the Fourteenth International ... - STIBA Malang

100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Old English weorðan and its replacement in Middle English 7
Figure 5. Weorðan, distribution of constructions (without participial constructions).
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
951–1050
(n = 401)
951–1050
(n = 98)
1051–1150
(n = 142)
1051–1150
(n = 86)
1151–1250
(n = 249)
1151–1250
(n = 68)
Figure 6. Becuman, distribution of constructions.
1251–1350
(n = 53)
1251–1350
(n = 45)
H Other constructions
E Copula + NP
D Copula + AP
C Copula + PP
B With dative object
A Intransitive
H Other constructions
E Copula + NP
D Copula + AP
C Copula + PP
B With dative object
A Intransitive
adjectival or nominal subject complements. It is only from early ME onwards that
adjectival and nominal subject complements with becuman increased; and this
increase was quite dramatic, especially if we take into account that our corpus
sample was set up to be as well balanced as possible. If we assume that the corpus
was representative in this respect, the quick success of becuman in these new copularizing
functions constitutes an unprecedented type of diachronic development.
It would mean an increase from almost zero frequency prior to 50 to a frequency