Re: Natlag: Middle English impersonal verbs

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark J. Reed" <markjreed@...>

> On 3/8/06, Joseph B. <darkmoonman@...> wrote:
>> Can someone here direct me to a good source on impersonal verbs in Middle
>> English?
>
> Are you looking for an explanation of the construct or a list of the
> verbs which were impersonal?  The only ones I know offhand are some
> that appear in The Canterbury Tales: in the present tense,  deigneth,
> liketh, nedeth, remembreth, reweth; in the past tense, mette, moste,
> oughte.
Me mette.  It dreamed to me.  I think this construction exists in several
languages to this day.  Icelandic?

And the most famous, thinketh.  Survives into Shakespeare's day and later:
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

I wonder if behoves was an impersonal verb that just hung in there.  It
behoves me to write that letter of recommendation.

Sally

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