Using the OED as a data source: the history of English reflexive verbs
<p>Present-Day English is generally assumed to possess only a handful of lexicalized reflexive verbs (absent oneself from, pride oneself on, etc.) and to use the reflexive marker neither for the marking of middle situation types nor the derivation of anticausative (decausative) verbs. Such non...
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| Format: | Conference item |
| Idioma: | English |
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2010
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| _version_ | 1826260695527718912 |
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| author | Siemund, P |
| author_facet | Siemund, P |
| author_sort | Siemund, P |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | <p>Present-Day English is generally assumed to possess only a handful of lexicalized reflexive verbs (absent oneself from, pride oneself on, etc.) and to use the reflexive marker neither for the marking of middle situation types nor the derivation of anticausative (decausative) verbs. Such nonreflexivizing uses of reflexive markers are widespread in other Germanic languages (cf. Germ. <em>sich offnen</em> <refl open=""> 'open' intr.). Based on data drawn from the British National Corpus, Siemund (forthc.) shows that the English reflexive pronoun <em>itself</em> does occur as a marker of middle situation types as well as for the derivation of anticausative verbs.</refl></p><p>I will here follow up the historical development of the verbs that participate in such processes beginning with the Middle English Period. My analysis is based on a survey of the relevant verbs in the Oxford English Dictionary (ca. 200 verbs). Here, a number of interesting observations can be made:<ol><li>Middle English had some lexicalized reflective verbs that used a simple pronoun for reflexive marking:<em> For to pride hym in his strengthe of body it is an heigh foyle</em> (OED, 1386) □ <em>to pride oneself; who so fyndeth hym out of swich fame</em> (OED, 1386) □ <em>to find oneself</em> 'be, exist'. When complex reflexives replace simple pronouns in relexive contexts, this also happens in lexicalized reflexive verbs.</li><li>There are various borrowings of French lexicalized reflexive verbs where the French reflexive is replaced by the English complex reflexive: <em>you express yourselfes worthy of it</em> (OED, 1549). </li><li>We also find reflexive lexicalizations of French/Latin-based verbs in (Early) Modern English:<em>the thought suggested itself</em> (OED, 1751). These may also be borrowings.</li><li>Alongside the processes in 1-3, the reflexive marker increasingly comes to be used in motion middle contexts (<em>fling itself, position itself</em>, etc.) and for the formation of anticausative verbs (<em>solve itself, sell itself</em>, etc.).</li></ol></p><p>These observations nicely illustrate how continuity (inertia), innovation (grammaticalization, analogical extension, lexicalization) and contact-induced change work in parallel and give rise to a rather complex synchronic picture. Even though I do not wish to claim that each verb has its own history, my talk is a warning against a simple reconstruction of the current synchronic situation in terms of one process alone. Moreover, the Oxford English Dictionary proves a rich and highly valuable data source that can be used for serious linguistic analyses.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-06T19:09:46Z |
| format | Conference item |
| id | oxford-uuid:16602b53-7997-412b-8adb-26d80f9c4f5b |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-06T19:09:46Z |
| publishDate | 2010 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:16602b53-7997-412b-8adb-26d80f9c4f5b2022-03-26T10:31:00ZUsing the OED as a data source: the history of English reflexive verbsConference itemhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_5794uuid:16602b53-7997-412b-8adb-26d80f9c4f5bEnglish Language and LiteratureEnglishOxford University Research Archive - Valet2010Siemund, P<p>Present-Day English is generally assumed to possess only a handful of lexicalized reflexive verbs (absent oneself from, pride oneself on, etc.) and to use the reflexive marker neither for the marking of middle situation types nor the derivation of anticausative (decausative) verbs. Such nonreflexivizing uses of reflexive markers are widespread in other Germanic languages (cf. Germ. <em>sich offnen</em> <refl open=""> 'open' intr.). Based on data drawn from the British National Corpus, Siemund (forthc.) shows that the English reflexive pronoun <em>itself</em> does occur as a marker of middle situation types as well as for the derivation of anticausative verbs.</refl></p><p>I will here follow up the historical development of the verbs that participate in such processes beginning with the Middle English Period. My analysis is based on a survey of the relevant verbs in the Oxford English Dictionary (ca. 200 verbs). Here, a number of interesting observations can be made:<ol><li>Middle English had some lexicalized reflective verbs that used a simple pronoun for reflexive marking:<em> For to pride hym in his strengthe of body it is an heigh foyle</em> (OED, 1386) □ <em>to pride oneself; who so fyndeth hym out of swich fame</em> (OED, 1386) □ <em>to find oneself</em> 'be, exist'. When complex reflexives replace simple pronouns in relexive contexts, this also happens in lexicalized reflexive verbs.</li><li>There are various borrowings of French lexicalized reflexive verbs where the French reflexive is replaced by the English complex reflexive: <em>you express yourselfes worthy of it</em> (OED, 1549). </li><li>We also find reflexive lexicalizations of French/Latin-based verbs in (Early) Modern English:<em>the thought suggested itself</em> (OED, 1751). These may also be borrowings.</li><li>Alongside the processes in 1-3, the reflexive marker increasingly comes to be used in motion middle contexts (<em>fling itself, position itself</em>, etc.) and for the formation of anticausative verbs (<em>solve itself, sell itself</em>, etc.).</li></ol></p><p>These observations nicely illustrate how continuity (inertia), innovation (grammaticalization, analogical extension, lexicalization) and contact-induced change work in parallel and give rise to a rather complex synchronic picture. Even though I do not wish to claim that each verb has its own history, my talk is a warning against a simple reconstruction of the current synchronic situation in terms of one process alone. Moreover, the Oxford English Dictionary proves a rich and highly valuable data source that can be used for serious linguistic analyses.</p> |
| spellingShingle | English Language and Literature Siemund, P Using the OED as a data source: the history of English reflexive verbs |
| title | Using the OED as a data source: the history of English reflexive verbs |
| title_full | Using the OED as a data source: the history of English reflexive verbs |
| title_fullStr | Using the OED as a data source: the history of English reflexive verbs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Using the OED as a data source: the history of English reflexive verbs |
| title_short | Using the OED as a data source: the history of English reflexive verbs |
| title_sort | using the oed as a data source the history of english reflexive verbs |
| topic | English Language and Literature |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT siemundp usingtheoedasadatasourcethehistoryofenglishreflexiveverbs |