Research Catalog

Title

The rise of the to-infinitive / Bettelou Los.

Author

Los, Bettelou.

Publication

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xv, 335 pages : illustrations; 24 cm

Summary

• "This book describes the historical emergence and spread of the to-infinitive in English. It shows that to + infinitive emerged from a reanalysis of the preposition to plus a deverbal nominalization, which spread first to purpose clauses, then to other nonfinite environments. The book challenges the traditional reasoning that infinitives must have been nouns in Old English because they inflected for dative case and can follow prepositions. Dr. Los shows that, even as early as Old English, the to-infinitive was established in most of the environments in which it is found today. She argues that its spread was largely due to competition with subjunctive that-clauses, which it gradually replaced."
• "The exposition is clear and does not assume an up-to-date knowledge of generative theory. The book will appeal to the wide spectrum of scholars interested in the transformation from Old to Middle English, as well as those studying the processes and causes of syntactic change more generally."--Jacket.

Subject

• Geschichte Anfänge-1100
• English language > Middle English, 1100-1500 > Infinitive
• English language > Old English, ca. 450-1100 > Infinitive
• 18.04 English language
• English language > Middle English > Infinitive
• English language > Old English > Infinitive
• Grammatikalisation
• Infinitiv
• Infinitkonstruktion
• Präposition
• Sprachwandel
• Onbepaalde wijs
• Oudengels
• Middelengels
• to
• Altenglisch
• Englisch
• Mittelenglisch

Note

• Revision of the author's thesis (doctoral)--1999.

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [315]-332) and index.

Contents

Part I. Introduction -- 1. Introduction -- Part II. The to-infinitive as GOAL -- 2. The Expression of Purpose in Old English -- 3. The to-infinitive as GOAL-argument -- Part III. The to-infinitive as THEME -- 4. Intention -- 5. Commanding and Permitting -- 6. Commissives -- Part IV. Syntactic Status -- 7. Introduction -- 8. The Changing Status of Infinitival to -- Part V. Changes in Middle English -- 9. The Rise of to-infinitival ECM -- 10. Innocent Bystander: The Loss of the Indefinite Pronoun man -- Part VI. Summary and Conclusions -- 11. Summary and Conclusions.

ISBN

• 0199274762
• 9780199274765

LCCN

2004019164

OCLC

• ocm56324627
• 56324627
• SCSB-8863959

Owning Institutions

Princeton University Library