Selected Papers from the Fourteenth International ... - STIBA Malang
Selected Papers from the Fourteenth International ... - STIBA Malang
Selected Papers from the Fourteenth International ... - STIBA Malang
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Verb types and word order 63<br />
(12) He wæs mid þæm fyrstum mannum on þæm lande; [næfde he þeah ma ðonne<br />
twentig hryðera, 7 twentig sceapa 7 twentig swyna]<br />
He was among <strong>the</strong> foremost men in that district; [not-had he however more<br />
than twenty cattle, and twenty sheep and twenty pigs]<br />
“He was among <strong>the</strong> foremost men in that district, [even though he did not have<br />
more than twenty cattle, and twenty sheep and twenty pigs]” (Or 15: 11)<br />
The above comments are meant to throw some light on <strong>the</strong> difference between<br />
non-coordinate and coordinate clauses as regards <strong>the</strong> distribution of verbs. However,<br />
in order to get information about word order in copular sentences in general,<br />
we may also read <strong>the</strong> tables vertically, instead of horizontally. As mentioned, in SVX<br />
word order, <strong>the</strong> X element(s) will in most cases be heavy and/or new, and in copular<br />
sentences, <strong>the</strong> main focus is on attributing a quality to a subject (presumably<br />
new information). Thus, SVX word order is to be expected if <strong>the</strong> verb is a copula;<br />
i.e., word order is seen as a consequence of <strong>the</strong> information content of <strong>the</strong> sentence.<br />
If <strong>the</strong> tables are read vertically, we see that SVX order is indeed preferred<br />
for copular clauses; in early OE, for example, 107 (67.3%) out of altoge<strong>the</strong>r 159<br />
copular sentences have SVX word order. 13<br />
It is, as <strong>the</strong> tables show, not <strong>the</strong> case that coordinate clauses are never copular<br />
clauses, but when a coordinate clause contains a copular verb, <strong>the</strong> preceding sentence<br />
is also often copular, so that <strong>the</strong> sequence becomes a listing of qualities, or a<br />
repetition of <strong>the</strong> same quality:<br />
(13) Se fæder is angin . and se sunu is angin . and se halga gast is angin . ac hi ne synd<br />
na þreo anginnu . ac hi ealle þry synden an angin<br />
The Fa<strong>the</strong>r is Beginning, and <strong>the</strong> Son is Beginning, and <strong>the</strong> Holy Ghost is Beginning,<br />
but <strong>the</strong>y not are not three Beginnings, but <strong>the</strong>y all three are one Beginning<br />
“The Fa<strong>the</strong>r is <strong>the</strong> Beginning, and <strong>the</strong> Son is <strong>the</strong> Beginning, and <strong>the</strong> Holy Ghost<br />
is <strong>the</strong> Beginning, but <strong>the</strong>y are not three Beginnings, but <strong>the</strong>y all three are one<br />
Beginning” (ÆLS 10: 14)<br />
In Table 5, we see that <strong>the</strong> late ME distribution differs <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> earlier three periods<br />
in having an approximately equal proportion of copulas in <strong>the</strong> non-coordinate<br />
and coordinate SVX patterns. A closer examination of <strong>the</strong> individual texts reveals<br />
13. Notice that what <strong>the</strong> tables show in terms of <strong>the</strong> percentages given is 1) <strong>the</strong> proportion of<br />
copulas in <strong>the</strong> SVX non-coordinate clause category vs. <strong>the</strong> SVX coordinate clause category,<br />
and 2) <strong>the</strong> proportion of copulas in <strong>the</strong> SVX pattern in relation to o<strong>the</strong>r verbs in <strong>the</strong> same pattern.<br />
The percentages do not tell us that SVX copular sentences are more often non-coordinate<br />
clauses than coordinate clauses or that <strong>the</strong> SVX pattern contains more copulas than <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
patterns. However, information about <strong>the</strong>se features may also be drawn <strong>from</strong> (<strong>the</strong> raw data of)<br />
<strong>the</strong> tables if, as mentioned above, <strong>the</strong>y are read vertically instead of horizontally.