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

Pat he ne broucte bred and sowel
Jn his shirte or in his couel,
Jn his poke benes and korn (Havelok 768-70)
Why ne sendel' he duk Rolond : with me for to fi3te,
OuJer olyuer with 1e harde hond : J'at is so god a kni3te;
OJer duk bera[r]d of montdisdier : ouer Ogeroun 1e wi3te?
(Ferumbras 454-6)
3yf man or womman may nat be chaste,
Take one and do no more waste (US 7461-2).
Apart from the four examples cited above, the sample yields another
example of the same type. The example, however, shows the eyther
or construction, which is favourable for the employment of or
instead of ne/nor in any case:
longe tyme ne shalle it noght be
That I ne shalle e yther come or send (SMA 566-7).
All the other examples are virtually a free variant to the
conjunction ne/nor semantically. The examples are identified in SEL,
KA, A&D, CM, CA, I-IS, DT, and SMA, most of which texts are from the
later period of ME. It is, however, difficult to decide if this usage
of or (i.e. the so-called later usage) is indeed from the later period
of ME, since the occurrence of or in negative clauses itself is rather
limited as far as early ME is concerned. The fact that a relatively
early text SEL presents an example suggests that the usage could be
existent in early ME as well, although by no means common. The
example runs as follows:
Ac non so lite Jat i ne finde here oJ?er in helle
(SEL 199/578).
Some of the examples of this type occur in a parallel combination
with ne/nor. Examples include:
And wyle nat 3eue hym for to lere,
Clergye ne craft or ou j er mystere (HS 1201-2)
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