Multi-word verbs in early modern English : a corpus-based study / Claudia Claridge.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Claridge, Claudia.

Series:

Language and Computers 32.

Language and computers : studies in practical linguistics ; 32

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Verb phrase.

English language.

English language--Verb.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (317 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam : Rodopi, 2000.

Summary:

The topic of this book fits in with the recently growing interest in phraseology and fixedness in English. It offers a description of multi-word verbs in the language of the 17th and 18th centuries, an important formative period for Modern English. For the first time, multi-word verbs are treated together as a group, as it is argued that phrasal verbs, prepositional verbs, phrasal-prepositional verbs, verb-adjective combinations and verbo-nominal combinations share defining characteristics. These characteristics are also reflected in similar possibilities of usage, in particular the subtle modification of verbal meaning and these verbs' potential for topicalization structures, both leading to a greater expressiveness. Using a new text collection, the Lampeter Corpus of Early Modern English Tracts (1640-1740), the study provides a description of the multi-word verb types found, their syntactic behaviour, and their semantic structure. The composition of the corpus also allowed the examination of the development of these verbs over time and in different registers. The corpus study is supplemented by an investigation of attitudes towards multi-word verbs with the help of contemporary works on language, leading to a more speculative discussion of the factors influencing the choice between multi-word and simplex verbs.

Contents:

Introduction

The Lampeter Corpus of Early Modern English Tracts

Multi-word Verbs as a Group

Categories of Multi-word Verbs

The History of Multi-word Verbs

Patterns of the Past: Multi-word Verbs in the Lampeter Corpus

Frequencies and Tendencies

Attitudes and Alternatives

Making a Choice

Conclusion

Appendices: All Multi-word Verbs Found in the Lampeter Corpus

References.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 293-308) and index.

ISBN:

9789004333840

9004333843

OCLC:

45035677

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004333840 DOI