Description
Book SynopsisThe Old English Case System. Case and Argument Structure Constructions by Kirsten Middeke is a Construction Grammar account of Old English argument structure that integrates modern cognitive corpus linguistics and traditional philological work. This is the first major study on Old English morphosyntax from a constructional perspective, based on findings from various strands of theoretical linguistics, including generative approaches, constructionist accounts, quantitative linguistics, and many more. It argues for a new take on historical comparative syntax, a field which has been dormant for quite a while but might see a new boost through the ideas presented here.
Table of ContentsList of Figures and Tables Abbreviations Acknowledgements 1 Introduction: And gefnǣs þone tōþ … 1.1 Studying Old English Argument Structure from a Construction-Grammar Perspective 1.2 The Lexicon Is Not Boring! Cognitive Historical Linguistics 1.3 Objectives 1.4 Organization 1.5 Notes on the Text 2 Not Balanced: The Database 2.1 Corpora and Methods of Data Collection and Analysis 2.2 The Verb as a Diagnostic for Constructional Meaning 2.3 Doing Cognitive Linguistics with Historical Corpora 3 Theoretical Preliminaries 3.1 Constructions 3.2 Valency 3.3 Construal 3.4 Semantic Roles 3.5 Formalism 4 Origins, Wholes, Stimuli—and Aspect? The Genitive 4.1 Introduction: Genitivus is gestrȳnendlīc 4.2 The Old English Genitive as a Family-Resemblance Category 4.3 Functions of Arguments and Adjuncts in the Genitive 4.4 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Genitive 5 Place, Time and Manner: The Instrumental 5.1 Introduction: A Case or Not a Case Any More? 5.2 The Old English Instrumental: Forms and History 5.3 Distributional Analysis: Frequencies and Collexemes 5.4 Fixed Formulae or Productive Pattern? 5.5 Factors Influencing the Frequency of the Instrumental 5.6 The Semantic Networks of the Instrumental 5.7 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Instrumental 6 Recipients and Addressees, Beneficiaries and Experiencers: The Dative 6.1 Introduction: Dativus is forgyfendlīc 6.2 Functions of Arguments and Adjuncts in the Dative 6.3 Functions of Datives with Nouns and Adjectives 6.4 Formally Assigned Datives 6.5 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Dative 7 Patients, Targets, Direct Objects? The Accusative 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Functions of Arguments and Adjuncts in the Accusative 7.3 Discussion: The Accusative in Semantic Space 7.4 Evaluation: Semantic and Syntactic Case? 7.5 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Accusative 8 Affectees: Oblique Case and Impersonal Constructions 8.1 Introduction: Impersonal Constructions Are Not Quirky! 8.2 Old English Impersonal Clause Patterns and their Associated Event Types 8.3 Discussion: How many Impersonal Constructions are there, and where do they Come from? 8.4 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Oblique Affectee Constructions 9 Agent, Topic, Subject? The Nominative 9.1 Introduction: The Case of the Subject? 9.2 Functions of Arguments in the Nominative 9.3 Functions of hit and þæt 9.4 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Nominative 10 Synthesis and Theoretical Implications 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Construction Grammar: Case Constructions and Argument Structure Constructions 10.3 Valency: Verbs and Argument Structures, Integration and Coercion 10.4 The Construct-i-con: Contextual Neutralization, Constructional Synonymy and Co-extensive Categories 10.5 Conclusion: A Construction Grammar Approach to Old English Argument Structure Appendix to Chapter 4 Appendix to Chapter 5 Appendix to Chapter 6 Appendix to Chapter 8 References Index
