Re: Ergative
| From: | JOEL MATTHEW PEARSON <mpearson@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Wednesday, October 21, 1998, 0:38 |
|---|
On Tue, 20 Oct 1998, Nik Taylor wrote:
> Also, did Old English have "be + dative" for I have? Is that the source
> of Modern English "woe is me"? That is "woe is (to) me" = "I have woe"
> = "I am woeful"? It's certainly not a simple identity, it's not *"I am
> woe".
I don't know anything about Old English, but I wouldn't be surprised
if you'd hit the nail on the head. Certainly the German equivalent
"Weh ist mir" is a be+dative construction.
Matt.