The Old English Case System

Kirsten Middeke, Ph.D. (2018), Freie Universität Berlin, is a postdoc at that university. She researches and teaches both synchronic and diachronic linguistics and is particularly interested in empirical methods for studying the semantics and evolution of grammatical constructions.

List of Figures and Tables

Abbreviations

Acknowledgements



1 Introduction: And gefnǣs þone tōþ …

 1.1 Studying Old English Argument Structure from a Construction-Grammar Perspective

 1.2 The Lexicon Is Not Boring! Cognitive Historical Linguistics

 1.3 Objectives

 1.4 Organization

 1.5 Notes on the Text



2 Not Balanced: The Database

 2.1 Corpora and Methods of Data Collection and Analysis

 2.2 The Verb as a Diagnostic for Constructional Meaning

 2.3 Doing Cognitive Linguistics with Historical Corpora



3 Theoretical Preliminaries

 3.1 Constructions

 3.2 Valency

 3.3 Construal

 3.4 Semantic Roles

 3.5 Formalism



4 Origins, Wholes, Stimuli—and Aspect? The Genitive

 4.1 Introduction: Genitivus is gestrȳnendlīc

 4.2 The Old English Genitive as a Family-Resemblance Category

 4.3 Functions of Arguments and Adjuncts in the Genitive

 4.4 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Genitive



5 Place, Time and Manner: The Instrumental

 5.1 Introduction: A Case or Not a Case Any More?

 5.2 The Old English Instrumental: Forms and History

 5.3 Distributional Analysis: Frequencies and Collexemes

 5.4 Fixed Formulae or Productive Pattern?

 5.5 Factors Influencing the Frequency of the Instrumental

 5.6 The Semantic Networks of the Instrumental

 5.7 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Instrumental



6 Recipients and Addressees, Beneficiaries and Experiencers: The Dative

 6.1 Introduction: Dativus is forgyfendlīc

 6.2 Functions of Arguments and Adjuncts in the Dative

 6.3 Functions of Datives with Nouns and Adjectives

 6.4 Formally Assigned Datives

 6.5 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Dative



7 Patients, Targets, Direct Objects? The Accusative

 7.1 Introduction

 7.2 Functions of Arguments and Adjuncts in the Accusative

 7.3 Discussion: The Accusative in Semantic Space

 7.4 Evaluation: Semantic and Syntactic Case?

 7.5 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Accusative



8 Affectees: Oblique Case and Impersonal Constructions

 8.1 Introduction: Impersonal Constructions Are Not Quirky!

 8.2 Old English Impersonal Clause Patterns and their Associated Event Types

 8.3 Discussion: How many Impersonal Constructions are there, and where do they Come from?

 8.4 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Oblique Affectee Constructions



9 Agent, Topic, Subject? The Nominative

 9.1 Introduction: The Case of the Subject?

 9.2 Functions of Arguments in the Nominative

 9.3 Functions of hit and þæt

 9.4 Synthesis: The Functions of the Old English Nominative



10 Synthesis and Theoretical Implications

 10.1 Introduction

 10.2 Construction Grammar: Case Constructions and Argument Structure Constructions

 10.3 Valency: Verbs and Argument Structures, Integration and Coercion

 10.4 The Construct-i-con: Contextual Neutralization, Constructional Synonymy and Co-extensive Categories

 10.5 Conclusion: A Construction Grammar Approach to Old English Argument Structure



Appendix to Chapter 4

Appendix to Chapter 5

Appendix to Chapter 6

Appendix to Chapter 8

References

Index