Old English; Middle English; Prefixes; Productivity
Abstract :
[en] This article brings to light a productive inseparable prefix construction marked by be-/biin
late Old English and early Middle English, which forms complex verbs of DECEPTION,
such as betray, beguile, bewray. The expression of such a specific psychological sense
through a verbal prefix is highly exceptional for Germanic languages, and a complex four
stage development has to be assumed, starting from other concrete constructions
marked by be-/bi- such as the PRIVATIVE construction (cf. bereave, behead). By
emphasizing the relevance of the notion of construction in this development, the article
also contributes to the insights in the relationship between constructions and language
change.
Research center :
Functional Linguistics Leuven (FLL)
Disciplines :
Languages & linguistics
Author, co-author :
Petré, Peter ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des langues et littératures modernes > Département des langues et littératures modernes
Language :
English
Title :
The prefix be-/bi- as a marker of verbs of deception in late Old and early Middle English
Publication date :
2006
Journal title :
BELL. Belgian Journal of English Language and Literatures
ISSN :
1781-3980
Publisher :
Academia Press, Ghent, Belgium
Volume :
4
Peer reviewed :
Peer reviewed
Name of the research project :
The diachronic evolution of complement constructions in English: Distribution and motivation (OT/2003/20/TBA)