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Re: THEORY ago (was: Most common irregular verbs?)

From:caeruleancentaur <caeruleancentaur@...>
Date:Tuesday, January 17, 2006, 14:09
--- In conlang@yahoogroups.com, R A Brown <ray@C...> wrote:

>>>What's the justification to call it an adjective here?
>> My justification is, as usual, the entry in the American Heritage >> Dictionary.
>But what makes the American Heritage Dictionary infallible? >According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word is only an >_adverb_: " *adverb* before the present (used with a measurement of >time)."
>Chamber's English Dictionary also gives it only as an adverb. Why >are these two dictionaries in error?
I did not mean to imply that my statement was infallible. I merely quoted my sources when I was asked for my justification. Languages and conlanging are hobbies for me, not my profession. I must rely on other sources and the sources I quoted for my statement happen to be American sources. I have not done any primary research in the field. Nor would I ever state that other sources were in error. As I plainly stated in my message I am aware that there is much disagreement in the field of linguistics. What is the date of your OED? The one I own (the micrographed compact edition) is dated 1971, but with a printing date of 1985. It appears that there have been some changes since that printing, which is certainly possible. But this 1971 edition states that "ago" is a participial adjective and an adverb: "[pa. pple. of the preceding vb., used as adj. qualifying some noun of time....]" Listed as the meaning is "gone by; bygone; past. (Now always *follows* its noun.)" Interestingly, "ago" used to be a verb! "Only the pa. pple. *agan, agon, agone, ago* is common after 1300, and of this the *verbal* use ceased before 1700 leaving it only as *adj.* of time...." The quote (under the definition "to go away, depart) from c.1175 is "Nis nawiht þeos weorld, al heo ayoð." (Translation please, and that "y" should be a yogh.) The most recent quote is from 1674, "The Author therefore...took a great fright lest they were all ago." I believe that asterisks are used on the list for italics. The italicized words above are in the original; they're not mine. Charlie http://wiki.frath.net/user:caeruleancentaur

Replies

Tim May <butsuri@...>THEORY ago
R A Brown <ray@...>
René Uittenbogaard <ruittenb@...>