SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND SYNTAX IN OLD ENGLISH
Keywords:
Keywords: Old English; sentence structure; syntax; inflectional morphology; word order variation; clause architecture; historical linguistics.Abstract
Abstract: This paper examines the sentence structure and syntactic organization
of Old English as used between the 5th and 11th centuries. Using a descriptive-
historical linguistic approach, the study investigates how casebased morphology,
flexible word order, and the absence of rigid syntactic rules shaped clause formation in
Old English prose and poetry. Analysis of religious, legal, and poetic texts shows that
the inflectional system allowed variation such as OV and VO patterns, while
subordinating conjunctions and relative markers signaled clause relationships without
depending strictly on word position. The results indicate that syntactic flexibility in
Old English was structurally sustained by rich inflection rather than word order
constraints. Furthermore, the coexistence of Germanic syntactic inheritance and
emerging Latin-influenced constructions reflects a transitional phase that paved the
way for Middle English syntactic stabilization. The findings suggest that Old English
syntax represents a key stage in the diachronic development of English sentence
structure, linking morphologically governed and positiongoverned grammatical
systems.
References
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