ABSTRACT |
The aim of this paper is to consider the historical development of the
adverb namely from its first occurrences as a particulariser in
early Middle English, with the meaning ‘particularly, in particular,
especially’, until the emergence and consolidation of its present-day
use as an optional marker of expository apposition, with the meaning
‘that is (to say), to wit, viz.’. More specifically, the history of
namely will be examined in the light of Aitchison’s (1995)
three-fold classification of models of language change: (a)
tadpole-into-frog model, (b) young-cuckoo model, and (c) multiple-birth
model, where the notions of gradual transition (X becomes Y),
fluctuation (Y ousts X) and competition (W, Y, Z compete with X)
respectively play a fundamental role. Evidence will be drawn from the
standard historical dictionaries (Oxford English Dictionary and
Middle English Dictionary), together with the Helsinki Corpus
of English Texts as a source of additional data.
Aitchison, Jean. 1995. “Tadpoles, cuckoos, and multiple births: Language
contact and models of change.” In Jacek Fisiak (ed.). Linguistic
Change under Contact Conditions. Berlin & New York: Mouton de
Gruyter: 1-13.
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