The Syntax of Early English - Cryptm.org

222 The syntax of early EnglishFor a full understanding of the developments that have taken place in AcIconstructions, it is essential that a distinction be made between instances like(15), with a perception verb followed by a bare infinitive clause, and those in(16), with a ‘believe’ verb followed by a to-infinitive. One of the problems inthe analysis of these constructions has indeed been that the differencesbetween them have often been ignored both by philologists, who have studiedthe constructions from a diachronic perspective, and by modern theoreticians,who have taken a synchronic perspective. For instance, both Zeitlin (1908) inhis monograph on the AcI in English and Visser (1963–73) do not distinguishthe two types in (15) and (16), and therefore believe that the AcI was alwayspart and parcel of the English language, which would leave nothing to explain.Likewise in some more recent theoretical work, no distinction is made betweenAcI constructions after verbs of physical perception and after believe typeverbs; syntactically they are often treated alike (see Fischer 1989 for a moredetailed discussion). We will find it useful to distinguish between the AcIconstruction proper, found after verbs of perception and causation, and thetype in (16), which we will call the ECM construction.The problem is further compounded by the fact that there are someinstances of AcIs in Old English which look very much like the type given in(16). Consider the following examples:(18) a. quarum in Germania plurimas nouerat esse nationesara cynna monig he wiste in Germanie wesanof-the tribes many he knew in Germany be‘many of the tribes he knew to be in Germany’(Bede 9.408.21, Plummer 1896: 296; Visser 1963–73: § 2079)b. Sed scimus te mansuetum esseAc we witun e bilewitne wesanbut we know you innocent be‘But we know you to be innocent’ (ÆColl 9)c....foron ic wat meyslf to beonne unscadwis on swa...because I know myself to beonne unskilful in suchdeorwurra spræcaworthy languages‘. . . because I know that I am not skilful in such worthy languages’(LS29 (Nicholas) 7)d. Funde a on bedde blacne licgan his goldgifanfound then on bedde pale lie his goldgiver‘Then found his lord lying pale on his bed’ (Jud 278)e. Ic wat eardfæstne anne standan, deafne, dumbanI know (see) firmly one stand deafne, dumb‘I see someone standing firmly, deaf, dumb’ (Rid 49.1)f. . . . ær he glædmode geonge wiste wic weardian...where he gentle-minded young knew dwelling-place inhabit‘. . . where he knew that the gentle-minded young woman lived’ (Jul 89)