The document discusses syntactic change in languages over time. It provides examples of how word order in English has changed from Old English to Modern English, shifting from a subject-object-verb word order to a subject-verb-object order. One proposal for syntactic change mentioned is that child language learners may hypothesize grammars different from the language they are exposed to. The document also gives examples of inversion in Old and Middle English question formations.

1. GIST
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

2. Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

3. A common phenomenon and may
occur in the apparent absence of any
external force.
Modifies deeply the physiognomy
of a particular language.
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

4. At the level of syntax, the amount of
change that languages undergo over a
given stretch of time varies
tremendously, both from language to
language and within the history of
single language.
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

5. One generative proposal that makes
room for syntactic change is that of
Andersen.
Hans Christian Andersen
• A novelist, short story writer and fairy
tale writer.
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

6. • He suggested that “Child language
learners faced with the
linguistic data of their
environment, may hypothesize
a grammar different from that
of speakers from whom their
input comes.”
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

7. WORD ORDER
 SVO (Subject- Verb- Direct Object)
VSO (Verb- Subject- Direct Object)
SOV (Subject- Direct Object- Verb)
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

8. Since Old English had an extensive
system of case marking, it is not
surprising that its word order was
somewhat more variable than that of
Modern English. Old English placed
the
Verb in second position.
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

9. Example:
He helped the man.
S V O
When clause began with an
element such
as “then" the verb was still in
the second
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

10. Example:
then sent the King the dish
V S O
When the direct object was a pronoun in
Old English, the S V O order is typical.
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

11. Example:
She him advised.
S O V
The S O V order also prevailed even
when the direct object is not a pronoun.
Example:
When the King visited, he boasted.
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

12. S-V-O order became the
means of grammatical
relations.
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

13. Word order patterns in Middle English
Year 1000 1200 1300 1400 1500
Direct
object
before
the
verb(%)
53 53 40 14 2
Direct
Object
after the
verb(%)
47 47 60 86 98
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

14. A case in point is found in the history of
English, which shows the development from
S-O-V to S-V-O syntax.
Evidence indicates that the earliest form of
Germanic from which English descended
was an S-O-V Language.
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

15. Inversion in the history of English
• In old and middle English the move operation
called Inversion involved in the formation of yes-
no questions .
• Example:
Speak they the reality?
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

16. • Inversion (old form)
• The V moves in front of the subject
They speak = Speak they?
They can speak= Can they speak?
• Inversion (new form)
The verb moves in front of the subject
They speak = Speak they?
They can speak = Can they speak?
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

17. The corresponding question came to be
formed with the auxiliary Do as in:
Do they can speak the reality?
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao

18. 1. Variety in Sentence Beginnings
SYNTAX
1. commonly used beginning 6. infinitive phrase 11. subjunctive form
2. single –word modifier (adv.) 7. gerund phrase 12. introduced by here and
there
3. single – word modifier (adj.) 8. appositive
4. prepositional phrase 9. negative object 13. non-front-position
5. participial phrase 10. inverted order adverbial for emphasis
Dr. Elsie L. Dajao