Abstract
The main goal of this paper is to show how the verb-second (V2) pattern of Old English (OE), despite certain striking differences from the usual West Germanic pattern, fits with a general characterisation of the V2 phenomenon developed primarily for the analysis of German. A second goal is to reflect on how V2 may have arisen in the prehistory of English (and other Germanic languages), making inferences on the basis of work on Gothic by Ferraresi (1991), Longobardi (1994) and Kiparsky (1994). The OE data support the general approach to V2 outlined in Roberts & Roussou (1996), as well as a version of the “split-Comp” hypothesis developed by Rizzi (1995). The diachronic discussion extends ideas put forward in Longobardi (1994). A general conclusion of the paper is that the distinction between “residual V2” and “full V2” is a structural one, and an ancient one; as Kiparsky (1994: 162) says “In this respect at least, English is syntactically the most conservative of all the modern Germanic languages”.
Notes
This paper forms part of a joint research project with Anna Roussou on “The Synchrony and Diachrony of Second-Position Effects”, funded by the British Academy (Grant No. APN 2989).
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Roberts, I. (1996). Remarks on the Old English C-system and the Diachrony of V2. In: Brandner, E., Ferraresi, G. (eds) Language Change and Generative Grammar. Linguistische Berichte, vol 7. VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-322-90776-9_6
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