Old English verbs of depriving: the semantics and syntax of possession transfer

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article aims at providing an inventory of Old English verbs of depriving that is motivated not only by the shared meaning components but also by grammatical behaviour. The theoretical basis of this work combines the framework of verb classes and alternations and Role and Reference Grammar. The main conclusion is that the verbs āniman, bedǣlan, beniman, berēafian, berȳpan, bescierian and (ge)rēafian are the best candidates for class membership, considering the constructions and the morpho-syntactic alternations on which they are found.