Theme: syntax in oe contents I. Introduction II. Main body. Structural relations of old english

3.3. Subject . . . Verb

The Subject . . . Verb word-order is commonly found in subordinate clauses and clauses introduced by and/ond or ac 'but', though it does sometimes occur in independent clauses. The subject comes at the beginning of the clause and the finite verb is delayed until the end (though it may be followed by an adverbial element such as a prepositional phrase).

In the noun clause (ðæt . . . eorðan), the direct object of ġeworhte comes between the subject and the verb. Indirect objects complements, adverbial elements and various combinations of these are to be found in the same position:

2. THE PHRASE

The syntactic structure of a language can be described at the level of the phrase and at the level of the sentence. In OE texts we find a variety of word phrases. OE noun patterns, adjective and verb patterns had certain specific features which are important to note in view of their later changes.A noun pattern consisted of a noun as the head word and pronouns, adjectives, numerals and other nouns as determiners and attributes. Most noun modifiers agreed with the noun in gender, number and case, e.g. on þǽm ōþrum þrīm daзum ‘in those other three days’ – Dat. pl Masc.An adjective pattern could include adverbs, nouns or pronouns in one of the oblique cases with or without prepositions, and infinitives, e.g. him wæs manna þearf ‘he was in need of man’.Verb patterns included a great variety of dependant components: nouns and pronouns in oblique cases with or without prepositions, adverbs, infinitives and participles, e.g. brinз þā þīnз ‘bring those things’.In OE texts we find a variety of word phrases (word groups or patterns). OE noun patterns, adjective patterns and verb patterns had certain specific features which are important to note in view of their later changes. A noun pattern consisted of a noun as the head word and pronouns, adjectives (including verbal adjectives, or participles), numerals and other nouns as determiners and attributes. Most noun modifiers agreed with the noun in gender, number and case, e.g.:

On pæm ōprum prim daʒum... 'in those other three days' — Dat. pl. Masc.

Ohthere sæde his hlāforde, AElfrēde cyniʒne 'Ohthere said to his lord, king Alfred' — the noun in apposition is in the Dat. sg. like the head noun. Nouns which served as attributes to other nouns usually had the form of the Gen. case: 'hwā les b ā n, dēora fell 'whale's bone, deer's fell'. Some 'numerals governed the nouns they modified so that formally the relations were reversed: tamra dēora ... syx hund 'six hundred tame deer'; twyentiʒ scēapa 'twenty sheep' (dēora, scēapa — Gen. pl). An adjective pattern could include adverbs, nouns or pronouns in one of the oblique cases with or without prepositions, and infinitives, e. g.:

hiora h ȳ d bi ð swiðe ʒod tō scip-rāpum 'their hide is very good for ship ropes'.

Verb patterns included a great variety of dependant components : nouns and pronouns in oblique cases with or without prepositions, adverbs, infinitives and participles, e.g.:

bring p ā pinʒ 'bring those things' (Acc.)

Hē ... sealde hit hys māder 'he ... gave it to his mother' (Acc., Dat.)

he ðær b ā d westanwindes 'there he waited for the western wind’ (Gen.)

Isaac cwæð tō his suna 'Isaac said to his son' (preposition plus Dat.);

bi pære ēa siʒlan 'sail past that river' (preposition plus Dat. in an adverbial meaning).

Hu mihtest pu hit swā hrædlice findan? 'how could you find it so lickly' (adverb)

Infinitives and participles were often used in verb phrases with verbs of incomplete predication (some of these phrases were later transformed into analytical forms): mihtest findan 'might find' in the last example, hē wolde fandian 'he wanted to find out', hie onʒunnon m ā repian 'they began to rage more'.