MAIN TYPES OF SENTENCE WORD ORDER IN MIDDLE ENGLISH ROMANCES OF THE 12TH – 15TH CENTURIES

Abstract

This investigation seeks to highlight the main types of sentence word order in Middle English romances. The etiquette sentences in the Middle English language of the northern, southern, eastern and western central dialects allow us to trace
the dialectal variation of the Middle English period. The empirical material’s analysis allowed to research the process of spreading the etiquette sentences and their functioning in the middle English language. Though still being present in the
Middle English romances, SOV-, VSO-models are no longer dominant sentence patterns and the SVO-model of sentence word order becomes increasingly common, leaving behind SOV-, VSO-arrangement of constituents in romances under
study. The research shows the increasing number of SVO patterns throughout Middle English period – SVO (ME1 68% – ME2 80% – ME3 86% – ME4 95%), SOV (ME1 27% – ME2 18% – ME3 12% – ME4 3%), VSO (ME1 5% – ME2 2% – ME3
2% – ME4 1%). The existence of the SOV- model of word order is explained by the use of head pied-piping operation in the maximal projection, which is a typical feature of the early stage of English language development. In general the word
order in chivalrous romances corresponds to the general trend of the language of the Middle English period to a fixed SVO– model of word order.