The Syntax of Early English - Cryptm.org

Verb–particles in Old and Middle English 187and of Mary’s garments and of a covering of Michael(’s altar) and ofStephen’s body and of Martin’s relics and a message with these words’(ÆLS(Maur) 70)Particles after the non-finite verb are rare. We will discuss this in section 6.4.3.As can be seen from table 6.1, in forty-one per cent of the main clauses inHiltunen’s corpus the particle precedes the verb. In a small number of these,the particle does not immediately precede the verb; the intervening element isalmost always a PP, as in (12).(12) a ne dorste he nawuht hrædlice ut of ære ceastre faran ...then not dared he not-at-all quickly from the city go‘then he dared not go quickly from the city’ (CP 51.397.32)We will return to this in section 6.3.3.Many of the main clauses with particles have either a modal or an auxiliaryverb, as illustrated in (13), where the finite modal verb has been fronted andthe particle appears before the non-finite (lexical) verb:(13) onne ne miht u na æt mot ut ateon ...then not can you not the mote out draw . . .‘then you cannot draw the mote out . . .’ (ÆHom 14.153)There are also main clauses such as (14) with a single verb and a precedingparticle:(14) Stephanus upastah urh his blod gewuldorbeagodStephen up-rose through his blood crowned with glory‘Stephen ascended, crowned with glory through his blood’(ÆCHom I, 3.56.31)Clauses like (14) call for some comment. This is a context in which we cannotadequately distinguish between particles and prefixes. It is therefore possiblethat up is a prefix, in which case we have the usual V-movement in a mainclause. Whether we actually interpret up as a prefix or not depends on the waythe combination is normally used, and whether it occurs in any of the syntacticconstructions discussed in section 6.2.2, by which particles can be distinguishedfrom prefixes (the position of ne, to, modals or auxilaries, andstranded prepositions). If a particle interpretation is likely, it would seem thatparticle and verb have been moved together by verb fronting, but there isanother possible explanation. In Old English there are main clauses whereverb fronting fails to take place, as shown in (15), where the nominal objectone man is found between subject and verb (see also chapter 4):(15) Se fullwuht one mon geclænsa from his synnumThe baptism the man purifies from his sins‘Baptism purifies a man from his sins’ (CP 54.427.6)