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

--- 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