This study contains various words and expressions of emotion found in Old and Middle English texts. Words and expressions of emotion in medieval English are discussed lexically, semantically and syntactically. Texts are examined to find appropriate examples to illustrate usage, rivalry among synonyms, constructions peculiar to Old and Middle English.

This monograph is a study of words and expressions of emotion found in Old and Middle English texts. Lexical variety, rivalry among synonyms, both native and non-native, and their successive replacement are discussed illustrated with a large number of examples. «Impersonal» and reflexive constructions, which give peculiar features to medieval texts, are examined, focusing on basic verbs of emotion. Words found in the Seven Deadly Sins and the contrasting use of the genitive and the of-phrase in God's love and the love of God are treated as typical medieval themes. Appendices are added to illustrate the variant forms of these words and expressions in the versions of the Gospels and the Psalter, together with formulaic expressions of emotion in Old English poetry.

Autorentext

Michiko Ogura is professor of English at Keio University, Tokyo. Her field of interest is medieval English syntax and word study. Her publications include Verbs in Medieval English. Differences in Verb Choice in Verse and Prose (1996) and Verbs of Motion in Medieval English (2002).

Inhalt

Contents: Lexical Variety and Supersession - Synonyms in Some Semantic Fields of Emotion - God's Love and the Seven Deadly Sins - «Impersonal» and Reflexive Constructions.