Where did wer go? Lexical variation and change in third-person male adult noun referents in Old and Middle English

Bibliographic Data

ID12233527
AuthorsJames M Stratton (0000-0002-7255-5545, University of British Columbia, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume35
Issue2
Pages199-221
Publication date2023-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLanguage Variation and Change (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0954-3945 • E-ISSN: 1469-8021
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0954394523000108
OpenAlexW4384558057
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited34

The present study uses variationist quantitative methods to examine the evolution of the semantic field of third-person male adult noun referents from Old English to Middle English, covering a time depth of approximately six hundred years. Results show a shift from the favored variant wer in Old English to man in Middle English, with the diachronic change in frequency following a prototypical s-shaped distribution. Although the replacement seems to take centuries to be complete, lexical frequency and written transmission are proposed as influential explanatory factors, and a homonymic clash is suggested to have accelerated the process of replacement in Middle English. Text type and text origin contribute to variation, with alliteration significantly influencing lexical choices in Old English verse texts. When combined with findings from recent synchronic work, this study highlights a heterogeneously structured semantic domain, which has undergone lexical replacement and change over time, providing some evidence for the applicability of s-shaped patterns for lexical change

British English · Linguistics · Middle English · Noun · Old English · Semantic change · Variation (astronomy · History · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

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