The lexical expression of CIRCUMSTANCE and DEGREE in old English

Abstract

This paper explores the distribution of the affixal material and lexical meaning within the semantic categories ‘circumstance’ and ‘degree’. The analysis is confined to the predicates belonging to the four major lexical categories, namely verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, that have been formed either prefixally or suffixally. Special attention has been paid to affixal polysemy, which applies when a given form can be bound to more than one semantic rule. In this regard, it must be noted that both categories present a significant degree of affixal overlapping that is confirmed in the polysemous character of a group of affixes, which include for-, fore-, forð-, mid-, ofer-, on-, sin-, ūp- and ūt-. The analysis has also revealed that ‘circumstance’ is mainly characterized by affixes conveying location, whereas ‘degree’ is mainly defined in terms of affixes expressing intensity. On the whole, the study casts lights on the degree of compatibility among affixes and functions and on the patterns of recategorization that arise as a result of affixal processes.