A comparative approach to syntactic change in the history of English

2005 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
JAN-WOUTER ZWART

This programmatic article suggests that crucial aspects of syntactic change in the history of English derive from the resetting of a single parameter, the pied piping parameter. Whereas Old English (and the Modern Continental West Germanic languages) treats VP material individually, yielding characteristic patterns of object, particle, and verb placement, Modern English treats the VP as a collective, moving it to a position to the left of certain ‘low’ adverbs and adverbials. The shift from individual to collective movement is described in detail, with its repercussions on the position of the verb, its object(s), and the verbal particle. The emergence of a zero reflexive and the development of have as the exclusive perfect auxiliary are suggested to be long-term effects of the shift from individual to collective movement.

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 577-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary J. Kaplan ◽  
J. Kenneth Fleshman ◽  
Thomas R. Bender ◽  
Carol Baum ◽  
Paul S. Clark

Histories of ear disease, otoscopic examinations, and audiologic, intelligence, and achievement tests were obtained from a cohort of 489 Alaskan Eskimo children who have been followed through the first ten years of life. Seventy-six per cent had experienced one or more episodes of otitis media since birth. Of these, 78% had their first attack during their first two years of life. Perforations and scars were present in 41%. A hearing loss of 26 decibels or greater was present in 16%, and an additional 25% were in the normal range but had a measurable air-bone gap. Children with a history of otitis media prior to 2 years of age and a hearing loss of 26 decibels or greater had a statistically significant loss of verbal ability and were behind in total reading, total math, and language. In addition, children who had an early onset of otitis media but now had normal hearing with a conductive component were also adversely affected in verbal areas. The number of otitis media episodes was related to tympanic membrane abnormalities, hearing loss, and low verbal and achievement scores. These findings indicate that otitis media has been a significant cause of morbidity in Alaskan Eskimo children, and its onset during the critical years of language development as well as the number of episodes play an important role in impairing verbal development.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 704-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Pollock

In his most recent book, James Scott presents us with a ‘deep history’ of the alluvial lowlands of Mesopotamia, from early domestications in the Neolithic to the emergence and consolidation of early states. Although the focus lies on Mesopotamia in these periods, Scott delves into the beginnings of the human use of fire in the Palaeolithic and draws on comparative developments in Southeast Asia, Egypt, Greece, Rome and elsewhere. He poses large questions: Why did people move into densely packed villages—‘Neolithic multispecies resettlement camps’—accompanied by the plants and animals they domesticated, but also by an exponentially increased disease load and a substantial portion of drudgery? Why did states emerge when they did, despite the fact that the main ecological and demographic conditions were present millennia earlier? What accounts for the fragility of these early states, and why do our standard histories obscure that fact? Guiding themes are ecological and demographic, but also draw explicit attention to the unintended consequences of human actions. Indeed, reflections on the Anthropocene underpin the book's arguments, and, like many others who write on this topic, Scott is motivated by deep-seated concerns about the sorry ecological state of our contemporary world and connections to long-term effects of human activity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 137 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-277
Author(s):  
Philip Durkin

Abstract It is well known that the set of kinship terms in Middle English showed considerable influence from French. In the case of aunt and uncle, this accompanied major restructuring of the system of kinship terms, as the Old English set of four distinct terms for paternal and maternal uncles and aunts were replaced by just two terms for ‘uncle’ and ‘aunt’, regardless of whether paternal or maternal. In comparison, the words for ‘grandfather’ and ‘grandmother’ have attracted little attention, as their story has appeared simpler: Old English had words for ‘grandfather’ and ‘grandmother’, irrespective of whether paternal or maternal, and so did Middle English. The terms are also similar in structure, with native terms in which words for ‘father’ or ‘mother’ are the head and eald ‘old’ is the modifier (whether in a compound or a phrasal structure) being replaced by borrowed terms (grandsire, granddame) or hybrid terms (grandfather, grandmother) in which French grand ‘big’ is the modifier. This paper shows that behind this apparently simple story there lurk some significant complications which point to considerable disruption and instability in the terms for ‘grandfather’ and ‘grandmother’ in both Middle English and French (with interesting and perhaps significant parallels also in other West Germanic languages). Consideration of these complications also casts new light on early lexical borrowing into Middle English from Anglo-Norman.


1993 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 1-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred Wollman

It is a well-known fact that Old English is rich in Latin loan-words. Although the precise number is not yet known, it is a fairly safe assumption that there are at least 600 to 700 loan-words in Old English. This compares with 800 Latin loan-words borrowed in different periods in the Brittonic languages (Welsh, Cornish, Breton), and at least 500 early Latin loan-words common to the West Germanic languages. These rather vague overall numbers do not lend themselves, however, to a serious analysis of Latin influence on the Germanic and Celtic languages, because they include different periods of borrowing which are not really comparable to each other. The basis of these estimates, moreover, is often not stated very clearly. Although the establishment of a complete list of Latin loan-words in the various Germanic languages is a desideratum, it can only be achieved in a later stage of our studies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 48 (03) ◽  
pp. 317-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theddeus Octavianus Hari Prasetyono ◽  
Patricia Marcellina Sadikin

ABSTRACTEven though Silicone injection for breast augmentation has been related to disastrous long-term effects and complications, some patients do not develop significant symptoms at all (asymptomatic). Unfortunately, the management of asymptomatic Silicone-injected breast is still unclear and has never been reported exclusively. We present two cases of asymptomatic patients with a history of liquid Silicone injections who refused to have a mastectomy. They were concerned with the breast ptosis and chose to undergo reduction mammoplasty to improve the appearance of the breasts. Magnetic resonance imaging may be useful as an additional screening tool to confirm the diagnosis and exclude the presence of malignancy in breasts with injected Silicone. We believe that breast reduction may be the alternative option for women with a history of liquid Silicone injection who have no symptoms but desire to preserve their breasts and improve their aesthetics.


2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan J. Jobsen ◽  
Job van der Palen ◽  
Mariël Brinkhuis ◽  
Francisca Ong ◽  
Henk Struikmans

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 1489-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Rascol ◽  
Robert A. Hauser ◽  
Fabrizio Stocchi ◽  
Cheryl J. Fitzer-Attas ◽  
Yulia Sidi ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livia R. Macedo ◽  
Jehan Marino ◽  
Brady Bradshaw ◽  
Joseph Henry

Graves’ disease is an autoimmune syndrome with symptoms such as tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and psychiatric symptoms. Limited evidence exists for the treatment of Graves’ hyperthyroidism-induced psychosis with atypical antipsychotics. A 47-year-old female with a psychiatric history of bipolar disorder presented for the first time to the psychiatric hospital. She was agitated and grossly psychotic with delusions. Electrocardiogram showed atrial fibrillation and tachycardia. Drug screen urinalysis was negative. Endocrine workup resulted in a diagnosis of Graves’ disease (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]: 0.005 μIU/mL, triiodothyronine [T3]: 537 ng/dL, thyroxine [T4]: 24 mcg/dL, free T4: 4.5 ng/dL, positive antithyroid peroxidase antibody, and antinuclear antibody). Aripiprazole 10 mg daily was initiated and titrated to 15 mg daily on day 4. On day 16, her suspicious behavior, judgment, and insight improved. Other medications given included aspirin 325 mg daily, metoprolol 25 mg twice daily, titrated to 12.5 mg twice daily, and methimazole 30 mg daily, titrated to 20 mg twice daily, and discontinued on day 29. The patient received radioiodine I-131 treatment 1 week later. We report the first known case on the use of aripriprazole to treat Graves’ hyperthyroidism-induced psychosis. Further studies examining the long-term effects and appropriate dose and duration of aripiprazole in this patient population are needed.


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