0 INTRODUCTION

5. CORPORA AND METHODOLOGY
of the ending (–ingum, but otherwise –ung).” According to Jespersen (1942 [1909]), the
–ung(e) form is the most frequent during early ME (1100-1300), but from this period
onwards, the disappearance of –ung happens quite rapidly, and the –ing form becomes the
regular one.
In addition, since the late OE the suffix had also been extended to strong verbs to form
substantives, as with OE brecan, bláwan and biddan, from which corresponding
substantives in –ing were formed. From the 13 th century formations from French bases
were also frequent, for example serving, assaillynge and plainynge (Jespersen 1942 [1909]
Vol. VI: 377). In other words, at this stage it became possible to form substantives ending
in –ing from any type of verb.
The –ing formation differs from the verb simply in its syntactic category, in that it
belongs to the category noun (Dalton-Puffer 1996). Other than this, the verb meaning is
basically retained: the majority of the examples of –ing nouns, such as shedding or
blessing, can be classified as action nouns meaning ‘act/process of doing x.’ However,
according to Marchand (1969 [1960]: 304), some other semantic categories can also be
discerned, namely result nouns (offerings ‘sth connected with the action of offering,’
writings), locative nouns (hidings ‘hiding place’), collective nouns (doings, workings; cf.
OED s.v. working n. 5. “Action, operation. a. Of a person; esp. collect. sing. and pl.
actions, doings, deeds”), and material nouns (‘something material connected with the
verbal idea,’ such as enarmynges; cf. MED s.v. enarming ger. 1. “An armed attack;”
norysschynge; MED s.v. nourishing(e) ger. 2 “Food or drink; nourishment”).
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