The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic
The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic
The impersonal verb in Old Icelandic
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47.<br />
unexpressed.<br />
Of. p.13, 1.283 (Class I). "Var komi til is<br />
classed as a passive because "koma at ll seems to have more<br />
a transi ti ve sense here, eQuall<strong>in</strong>g II to or<strong>in</strong>g to" or 11 to<br />
reach".<br />
• • at reynt er urn penna leik. (p.13, 1.266)<br />
English would turn the <strong>impersonal</strong> vero iEto a noun which<br />
would act as suoject: " •• trial had -been made <strong>in</strong> that<br />
contest". In English the word wi th the greatest sense-weight<br />
should oe made sub ject of a clause, as here.<br />
/ t' / )<br />
Sva er sagt i VQluspa ••• (p.19, 1.471<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>impersonal</strong> is often como<strong>in</strong>ed with the passive, as here.<br />
C1'. p.17, 1.409 (Class V), where an active construction is<br />
used.<br />
VQlsunga saga:<br />
./ / /<br />
• • er fra pvi sagt, pa ere •• , at. • • (p.2l, 1.1)<br />
<strong>The</strong> suppressed suoject is ir- apposition to the at-clause.<br />
Lib£11us Islandorum:<br />
· .<br />
at h~r yrai enn via Kristn<strong>in</strong>ni tekit ••• (p.36, 1.68)<br />
"Kri stni" eQuals IIChri s tiani ty; it is the sense focus and<br />
therefore the real agent.<br />
It is <strong>in</strong> a phrase governed by !lvio"<br />
oecause the vero is really II taka via" •<br />
Hrafnkels saga:<br />
/ /<br />
Sioan vax foert i sel frame •• (p.62, 1.104)<br />
This means simply "he went ll -<br />
IIvar 1'00 rtlt is the <strong>impersonal</strong><br />
vero, which means Ii terally IIi t Vias sentI!.
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