Yoko Iyieri PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText - University ...

j Contracted UncontracteL Totals I
ne+ys 1 0 1
ne+ar 1 0 ii
ne+wolde 7 0 [ 71
ne+haf 1 0 I ii
ne+hade 2 0 I. 21
I Totals I 12 0 I 12 I
I I (100.0%) I I
Some relevant examples are:
For I haf founden, in god fayth, yowre fraunchis nobele,
And oJer ful much of oj7er folk fongen bi hor dedez,
Bot 1e daynt Iat ay delen, for my disert euen
(1264-6)
For I haf wonnen yow hider, wy3e, at is tyme,
And now nar 3e not fer fro Jat note place
Pat 3e han spied and spuryed so specially after (2091-3)
And he nikked hym naye, he nolde bi no wayes (2471)
Naf I now to busy bot bare Jre dayez,
And me als fayn to falle feye as fayly of myyn ernde
(1066-7)
Nade he ben du3ty and dry3e, and Dry3tyn had serued,
I)outeles he hade ben ded and dreped ful ofte (724-5).
The manuscript of GGK is localized in Cheshire, and dated to cal400.
The composition of the original text was perhaps a little before the
manuscript date, but cannot be dated precisely.
The regular occurrence of negative contraction, though
infrequent due to the dearth of the adverb ne itself, is of decided
interest, since negative contraction, which has been regarded as a
feature of southerly parts of England, may have been a phenomenon
more widespread than previously recorded. The paucity of texts
from the earlier period of ME in northerly parts of England and the
earlier decline of the adverb ne in the same area may have made it
16 Levin (1956: 64) suggests that the following is a possible
example of uncontracted forms:
As wy3 J)at wolde of his wyte, ne w y st quat he my3t (1087).
I would rather suspect, however, that this is an example of the
conjunction ne followed by wyst.
211