Continuous Forms of the English Verb: Origin, Stages of Development

Abstract

The article deals with the study of the Old English syntactic construction «beon/wesan + Participle with the ending ‑ende» and the Middle English combination be with preposition on(a) and verbal noun in terms of their origin; the consideration of the process of formation of continuous forms in Old English, Middle English and Early New English periods on the basis of the Gospel translations: Anglo-Saxon translation 995; Wycliffe 1389; Tyndale 1526; Authorized Version of King Jacob 1611. Different views on the origin of continuous forms in English are analyzed. The process of formation of continuous forms is traced taking into account their functional load in language. The role of verbal nouns with the preposition on(a) in certain communicative situations is defined. The development of continuous forms is considered from the point of view of functionality of the existing variants, emerging as a result of the influence of linguistic and extralinguistic factors. Contacts with Celtic languages and the result of their influence on continuous forms of English verbs are studied in the periods under consideration. The conclusion is made that the Old English construction «beon/wesan + Participle with the ending ‑ende» can be considered as the prototype of modern continuous forms, but there is a possibility of its merging with the Middle English combination «be + preposition on(a) + verbal noun». Widespread in oral language, this combination only accelerated the development of continuous forms in English. Prospects for researching continuous forms of the English verb provide its further consideration from the point of view of system-functional approach that is a base of historical sociolinguistics