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Talk:Do-support/Origin

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Uses of do in Old English include:

  1. lexical. a full lexical verb, often replacing another verb: "Let us do [= put] him in this old well"[1]
  2. substitutional. a substitution for another verb elsewhere in a clause: "...he killed many more in death than he did before [when he was alive]"[2]
  3. causative. "And trees he does [= causes] to bloom suddenly and again to wither quickly"[2]

These uses continued into Middle English; however, the use of auxiliary and modal verbs was expanding greatly at the same time.[1] In this environment, the use of do as an auxiliary verb in periphrastic constructions, in addition to its existing uses in Old English, arose in response to a gap in the developing auxiliary system.[1]

In fact, it is generally accepted that this periphrastic use of do, the basis of do-support, evolved from one of these uses inherited from Old English.[3] While linguists have at times mooted theories positing each use (lexical, substitutional, or causative) as the origin of do-support,[4] causative do now has widespread support as the progenitor.[5][6]

  1. 1 2 3 Fischer, Olga (1992). "Chapter 4: Syntax". In Blake, Norman (ed.). The Cambridge History of the English Language. Volume II: 1066–1476. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. p. 267. ISBN 0-521-26475-8. Retrieved 25 October 2011. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  2. 1 2 Fischer, Olga (1992). "Chapter 4: Syntax". In Blake, Norman (ed.). The Cambridge History of the English Language. Volume II: 1066–1476. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. p. 268. ISBN 0-521-26475-8. Retrieved 25 October 2011. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  3. Fischer, Olga (1992). "Chapter 4: Syntax". In Blake, Norman (ed.). The Cambridge History of the English Language. Volume II: 1066–1476. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. p. 269. ISBN 0-521-26475-8. Retrieved 25 October 2011. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  4. Fischer, Olga (1992). "Chapter 4: Syntax". In Blake, Norman (ed.). The Cambridge History of the English Language. Volume II: 1066–1476. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. pp. 269–271. ISBN 0-521-26475-8. Retrieved 25 October 2011. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  5. Fischer, Olga (1992). "Chapter 4: Syntax". In Blake, Norman (ed.). The Cambridge History of the English Language. Volume II: 1066–1476. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge. p. 271. ISBN 0-521-26475-8. Retrieved 25 October 2011. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  6. Kroch, Anthony (1989). "Function and Grammar in the History of English: Periphrastic DO". In Fasold, Ralph; Schiffrin, Deborah (eds.). Language Change and Variation (PDF). Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing. p. 138. ISBN 978-90-272-3546-6. Retrieved 25 October 2011. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |lastauthoramp= (help)

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