Chapter published in:
Late Modern English: Novel encountersEdited by Merja Kytö and Erik Smitterberg
[Studies in Language Companion Series 214] 2020
► pp. 92–115
Changes affecting relative clauses in Late Modern English
Julia Bacskai-Atkari | University of Konstanz
This paper presents the results of a corpus study
comparing relative markers (relative complementisers and relative
pronouns) in the King James Bible and its modernised version,
focusing on subject and object relative clauses involving a human
referent. The attested differences indicate changes affecting
Standard (British) English during Late Modern English. The paper
discusses three important aspects: in Early Modern English, (i)
which was available for human subjects, (ii)
that-relatives had a higher proportion, and
(iii) the equative element as could introduce
relative clauses as a complementiser. The paper argues that the
disappearance or reduction of alternative forms to
who/whom was driven both by
internal and by external factors, and that significant differences
can be observed between the standard variety and regional
dialects.
Published online: 18 March 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.214.04bac
https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.214.04bac
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Bacskai-Atkari, Julia
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