Word order patterns in Old and Middle English. A syntactic and pragmatic study.

Abstract

E]all sio gioguð ðe nu is on Angelcynne friora monna, ðara ðe ða speda hæbben ðæt hie ðæm befeolan mægen, sien to liornunga oðfæste, ða hwile ðe hi to nanre oðerre note ne mægen, oð ðone first ðe hie wel cunnen Englisc gewrit arædan.All the youth now in England of free men, who are rich enough to be able to devote themselves to it, should be set to learn as long as they are not fit for any other occupation, until they are well able to read English writing.(King Alfred in the preface to the translation of Cura Pastoralis)The first of the vii sciences is gramaire ... wythout whiche science sikerly alle other sciences in especial ben of lytil recommendacion, by cause without gramaire ther may none prouffyte ... This is the scyence to forme the speche, be it in latyn, ffrenshe or englisshe, or in any other langage that men speke with.And who that coude alle gramaire, he coude make and construe euery worde and pronounce it by example.God made the world by worde, and the worde is to the world sentence.(From Caxton's Mirrour of the World) vi Forþon hit is god godne to herianne... AcknowledgmentsFirst of all I would like to thank the Norwegian Research Council (Norges Forskningsråd) for granting me the stipend which allowed me to carry out this work.I am indeed grateful that I was given the chance to lead such a challenging and stimulating life for four years.I would also like to thank my advisor, Leiv Egil Breivik, for leading me onto the path of word order studies in the first place, and for subsequently guiding me through the process with patience and unfailing optimism.Thanks are also due to Bjørg Bækken and Kari Haugland for interesting and inspiring discussions, to Kirsti Koch Christensen, Kari