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The rise of the to-infinitive / Bettelou Los.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005Description: xv, 335 pages : illustrations ; 24 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 0199274762
  • 9780199274765
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 427.02 22
LOC classification:
  • PE597 .L67 2005
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.
Review: "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."--BOOK JACKET.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode
Book City Campus City Campus Main Collection 427.02 LOS (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available A264346B

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

Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-332) and index.

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.

"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."--BOOK JACKET.

Machine converted from AACR2 source record.

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