- Trend toward modern word order
- SVO still the most common
- SOV occasionally found
- þat ðu þis weork naht ne forlate
- that you this work not (not) neglect
- • VSO regular for questions and commands
- Gaf ye the chyld any thyng?
- Gave you the child any thing?
- Bryng ye the hors
- Bring you the horse
Syntax Within Clauses (cont’d) - OSV used to emphasize the object
- This bok I haue mad and wretyn
- The book I have made and written
- • OVS was still common for the same thing
- Clothis have they none
- Clothes have they none
- Coordinated (“and/so”) more than subordinated (“when/while”): “run-on” sentences
- Than sir Launcelot had a condicion that he used of custom to clatir in his slepe and to speke oftyn of hyls lady, quene gwenyver. So sir Launcelot had awayked as long as hit had pleased hym, and so by course of kynde he slepte and dame Elayne bothe. And in his slepe he talked and claterde as a jay of the love that bene betwyxte quene Gwenyver and hym, and so as he talked so lowde the quene harde hym thereas she lay in her chambir. And whan she harde hym so clattir she was wrothe oute of mesure, and for anger and payne wist not what to do, and than she cowghed so lowde that sir Launcelot awaked. (Malory, Morte d’Arthur)
- used of custom was accustomed to clatir chatter
- kynde nature wist knew
- Beginning of huge English vocabulary, susceptibility to borrowing
- Layering of vocabulary: colloquial/formal, everyday/technical, general/specialized - English became more cosmopolitan
- Loss of inflectional system made it easier to borrow (no worries about gender, declension); cf. Russian, Japanese
- Also, English has many phonemes - not hard to say foreign words
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