The Progressive Form is a feature that distinguishes the English language from all other Germanic languages, which have no parallel construction to offer. But not only is it rare, it is also special in a way that over the development of English its frequency has been in increase. It is for these reasons that this paper tries to determine to what extent the development of the English Progressive Form was influenced by other languages.
For this purpose the different stages of the development of the Progressive Form will be illustrated along with the evolution of the English language as such, after providing basic information on the grammatical concept of aspect. Subsequently the four contact situations between the English and the Celts, Romans, Danes and Normans will be described and information on their languages as well as their influence on the English Progressive Form will be gathered. In a final step the findings of the previous chapters will be brought together in order to answer the question at hand.
I would like to point out that the History of the English language by Baugh and Cable has been very helpful in conducting the historic knowledge required in this context. The works of Niehues, Lamont and Wischer have proven to be useful sources for examples from the developing stages of English and the languages it was in contact with. In Filpulla’s paper a very clear line of argumentation concerning the importance of the various contact situations can be found.
Seldom, however, did I find works that combined findings on all those aspects, which is the aim of this paper.
Table of contents
1. Introduction
2. General information on the Progressive
3. Conditions in West-Germanic
4. The Progressive in Old English
5. Occurrence in Middle English
6. Further development of the progressive forms
7. Influences of other languages on the development of the English progressive forms
7.1 Latin influence
7.2 Celtic influence
7.3 The influence of Old Norse
7.4 The influence of Norman French
8. Conclusion
9. Literature Cited
Research Objectives and Key Topics
The primary objective of this paper is to determine to what extent the development of the English Progressive Form has been influenced by various language contact situations, specifically analyzing its evolution from Old English to the modern era.
- The grammatical concept of aspect and the unique nature of the English progressive.
- Developmental stages of progressive forms from West-Germanic through Middle English.
- Evaluation of potential linguistic influences from Latin, Celtic, Old Norse, and Norman French.
- The transition of progressive constructions toward a more analytic verbal system.
Excerpt from the Book
7.2 Celtic influence
As opposed to Latin which was generally seen as the language of a higher civilization and influenced the English first in trade and military, later also in religious and intellectual fields (cf. Baugh/Cable 1994: 75) the influence of the Celtic languages was that of a more substratum nature.
It has long been discussed whether there is a connection between Celtic and the development of the English progressive. A first argument to underline this theory is the absence of a comparable structure in other Germanic languages. In consequence the decisive influence has to have come from an outside language (cf. Niehues 2006: 53).
As Niehues shows in his work the progressive construction is quite similar in all Celtic languages, consisting of an inflected form of to be + preposition/aspect marker + verbal noun. Only some of those examples shall be listed below for the purpose of illustration:
(7) Welsh: Mae Mair yn canu. ‘Mary sings/is singing.’ (8) Irish: Tá Máire ag scríobh na litreach. ‘Mary is writing the letter.’ (9) Scot. Gael. Tha Iain a’ leughadh. ‘Iain is reading.’ (10) Old Irish: boi in drui occ airi na rind ‘the druid was watching the stars’ (cf. ibid.: 53-54).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the research aim to evaluate external linguistic influences on the English Progressive Form throughout its historical evolution.
2. General information on the Progressive: Defines the grammatical structure and the distinction between perfective and imperfective aspect in English.
3. Conditions in West-Germanic: Examines Proto-Germanic tense and aspect systems to establish the foundational lack of formal progressive structures.
4. The Progressive in Old English: Analyzes early synthetic constructions and the use of 'be' + present participle in Old English texts.
5. Occurrence in Middle English: Tracks the emergence of new progressive forms and the morphological convergence of the -ing suffix.
6. Further development of the progressive forms: Discusses Modern English advancements including the integration of stative verbs and the creation of the progressive passive.
7. Influences of other languages on the development of the English progressive forms: Provides a comparative analysis of potential impacts from Latin, Celtic, Old Norse, and Norman French on English grammar.
8. Conclusion: Summarizes findings, concluding that Celtic influence is the most likely significant factor in the development of the progressive construction.
9. Literature Cited: Lists the academic sources utilized for the historical linguistic analysis.
Keywords
English Progressive Form, language contact, Celtic influence, Latin influence, Old Norse, Norman French, aspect, imperfective aspect, perfective aspect, grammaticalization, verbal morphology, Middle English, Old English, linguistic evolution, synthetic language.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the historical development of the English Progressive Form and investigates potential external language influences that contributed to its emergence and evolution within the Germanic language family.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
Key areas include the grammatical definition of aspect, the chronological development of the progressive from Old English to Modern English, and the comparative linguistic analysis of contact with Celtic, Latin, Norse, and French.
What is the central research question?
The central question is to what extent the development of the English Progressive Form was shaped by influences from other languages the English speakers were in contact with throughout history.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author utilizes a historical-linguistic methodology, reviewing and synthesizing academic research to track grammatical developments and evaluate arguments for external influence versus internal language change.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the transition from synthetic to analytic structures, the role of specific suffixes like -ing, the evolution of tense systems, and detailed case studies on language contact scenarios.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The work is best defined by terms such as Progressive Form, language contact, grammaticalization, Celtic influence, and linguistic evolution.
Why is the Celtic influence considered significant by the author?
The author highlights that Celtic languages share formal and functional similarities with the English progressive that are not found in other Germanic languages, suggesting a strong substrate influence.
What role did Latin play according to the text?
The text concludes that while Latin influenced vocabulary extensively, its direct impact on the development of the progressive is doubtful, as such constructions were largely restricted to translation contexts.
How did Middle English contribute to the progressive form?
Middle English was crucial for the regularization of the -ing ending and the emergence of new forms like the infinitive progressive "to be doing."
- Arbeit zitieren
- Janine Börstler (Autor:in), 2012, Historical Influences on the Development of the English Progressive Forms, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/208377
