- •Module 10
- •The grammatical system in middle english and early new english
- •The verbal system
- •Outline
- •1. Changes in the verbal system in Middle English and Early New English
- •1.1. Simplifying changes in the verb conjugation
- •1.2. Morphological classification of verbs in Middle English
- •1.2.1. Strong verbs.
- •1.2.3. Minor group of verbs
- •1.2.2. Weak verbs
- •Conjugation of oe bēon, me ben, ne be
- •1.2.4. The origin of modern irregular verbs
- •Development of new grammatical forms categories of the English verb
- •2.1. Growth of the future tense forms
- •2.2. New forms of the subjunctive mood
- •2.3. Interrogative and negative forms with do
- •2.4. Perfect forms. The category of time-correlation
- •2.5. Continuous forms. The category of aspect
- •2.6. Passive forms. The category of voice
- •2.7. Development of the verbals
- •Conclusions
2.6. Passive forms. The category of voice
In OE the finite verb had no category of voice. Only in the system of verbals the participles of transitive verbs – present and past – were contrasted as having an active and passive meaning.
The analytical passive forms developed from OE free combinations of weorþan ‘become’ and bēon ‘be’ + past participle of transitive verbs, e.g. OE hē wēarþ ofslæen ‘he was slain’. In OE the former construction indicated the transition into the state expressed by the participle, while the latter denoted a state resulting from a previous action. The participle, which served as predicative to these verbs, in OE agreed with the subject in number and gender.
In ME the sphere of the passive voice grew as compared with OE. ME ben > OE bēon as a link verb became more widely used than ME werthen < OE weorþan, and its combination with past participle developed into an analytical form. Now it could express not only a state but also an action, e.g. ME engendered is the flour ‘the flower is generated [born]’. The formal pattern of the passive voice extended to many parts of the verb paradigm: it is found in the future tense, in the perfect forms, in the subjunctive mood and in the non-finite forms of the verb, e.g. Chaucer has:
…the conseil that was accorded by youre neighebores
(‘The advice that was given by your neighbours’)
But certes, wikkidnesse shal be warisshed by goodnesse.
(‘But, certainly, wickedness shall be cured by goodness’.)
With many a tempest hadde his berde been shake.
(‘His beard had been shaken with many tempests.’)
The passive voice was very widely developed in ME.
In Early NE the passive voice continued to grow and to extend its application. Late ME saw the appearance of new types of passive constructions. In addition to passive constructions with the subject corresponding to the direct object of the respective active construction, i.e. built from transitive verbs (see the above examples), there arose passive constructions whose subject corresponded to other types of objects: indirect and prepositional. Passive forms began to be built from intransitive verbs associated with different kinds of objects, e.g.::
The angel ys tolde the words. ‘The angel is told the words’ (indirect object)
I wylle that my moder be sente for (Malory) ‘I wish that my mother were sent for’(prepositional object).
From an early date the passive voice was common in impersonal sentences with it introducing direct or indirect speech:
Hit was accorded, granted and swore, bytwene þe King of Fraunce and þe King of Engelond þat he shulde haue agen al his lands (Brut, 13th c.) ‘It was agreed, granted and sworn between the King of France and the King of England that he should have again all his lands’.
The wide use of various passive constructions in the 18th and 19th c. testifies to the high productivity of the passive voice. At the same time the passive voice continued to spread to new parts of the verb paradigm: the gerund and the continuous forms.