A Diachronic Study of English Progressive -ing: focusing on its function

초록

Concerning the same events in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, for example, in the year of A.D. 994, different manuscripts depict them differently, and modern scholars translate them differently depending on their understanding of the OE Anglo-Saxon Chronicle using either the simple preterit tense or the preterit progressive aspect. What is interesting about the usage of the PE progressive as regards to the OE progressive is that the PE present progressive may express the idea that something shocking or irritating often happens or annoyance at a repeated action. As in the case of contrast of the Parker MS (Ã or A-Prime) and the Laud (Peterborough) MS. (E), the Parker uses the simple preterit tense fuhton “attacked” whereas the Laud (Peterborough) uses the past progressive feohtende wæron “were attacking” describing the same events. Concerning the same events, especially in the year of A.D. 994, we come to the conclusion that a scribe, for example, of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (the Parker MS. Ã or A-Prime) adopted a historic, objective style using simple preterit tense. Another scribe, for instance, of Laud (Peterborough) MS. (E) expressed his attitude of anger, shock, or annoyance toward the events, adopting subjective, emotional, expressive style using the “emotional progressive”. To the question why there is a difference between these constructions concerning the same event, the answer might be that it is the difference of the scribes’ objective or subjective attitude toward the events. In this respect, the usage of English progressive has remained the same from OE to PE. The English language has changed just the form, the outward clothes from OE -ende to PE -ing. As many scholars have observed, while the progressive has been expanding its area with increasing use of it as the English language is approaching PE, but its main functions remain the same.

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