Reanalysis in the history of English adverb formation

Abstract

This thesis discusses the origins and development of English adverb formation. Specifically, the development of adverbial suffix -ly is looked into. This suffix came into being through a process of reanalysis of an OE adjectival suffix -lic, and started to be applied in forming adverbs of manner in ME. This development is compared to that of cognate suffixes in Dutch and German, which is different from English. A case study is conducted which investigates a selection of six words in further detail. This study suggests that the reanalysis created a single adverb marker -liche (later -li), and moreover, that this reanalysis had already begun in the OE period. Bare adjectives like beald and open have derived adverb forms that end in -lice without an intervening adjective in -lic. As this is a small case study, more research with a larger scale should be carried out to confirm these findings.