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.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- General information on the Progressive
- Conditions in West-Germanic
- The Progressive in Old English
- Occurrence in Middle English
- Further development of the progressive forms
- Influences of other languages on the development of the English progressive forms
- Latin influence
- Celtic influence
- The influence of Old Norse
- The influence of Norman French
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to investigate the extent to which the development of the English Progressive Form was influenced by other languages. To achieve this, the paper examines the different stages of the Progressive Form's evolution alongside the broader development of the English language, starting with basic information on the grammatical concept of aspect. The paper then explores the contact situations between English and other languages, such as Celtic, Latin, Old Norse, and Norman French, analyzing their respective linguistic features and their potential impact on the English Progressive Form. Finally, the findings are synthesized to answer the research question.
- The development of the English Progressive Form
- The influence of other languages on the English Progressive Form
- The grammatical concept of aspect
- Contact situations between English and other languages
- The historical evolution of the English language
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introductory chapter defines the scope and purpose of the paper, emphasizing the unique nature of the English Progressive Form and its increasing frequency over time. It sets out the methodology and the key sources used for the research. The second chapter provides an overview of the grammatical concept of aspect, contrasting perfective and imperfective aspect and highlighting the role of the Progressive Form in expressing ongoing actions in English.
Chapter 3 examines the conditions for tense and aspect in West-Germanic languages, focusing on Proto-Germanic. Chapter 4 delves into the use of progressive forms in Old English, analyzing the available constructions and their functions, comparing them to Present-Day English.
Chapter 5 explores the occurrence of progressive forms in Middle English, while Chapter 6 examines the further development of these forms throughout the history of English. Chapter 7 focuses on the influence of other languages on the development of the English Progressive Form, specifically investigating the contributions of Latin, Celtic, Old Norse, and Norman French.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key terms and concepts investigated in this paper include: English Progressive Form, aspect, perfective and imperfective aspect, historical linguistics, language contact, English language history, Old English, Middle English, Latin, Celtic, Old Norse, Norman French.
- Quote paper
- Janine Börstler (Author), 2012, Historical Influences on the Development of the English Progressive Forms, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/208377