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Article published In: Historiographia Linguistica
Vol. 38:3 (2011) ► pp.255–292

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The ‘Glaring’ Place of Prepositions

Grammar, Rhetoric and the Scottish Codifiers

 | The University of Manchester
Published online: 24 October 2011
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https://doi.org/10.1075/hl.38.3.01yan
Summary
This paper offers new insights into the 18th-century normative tradition, with special reference to the stigmatisation of preposition stranding. It brings to light the role of Scottish codifiers in contrast to English codifiers: works written by Scots contain more critical comments on the use of end-placed prepositions both quantitatively (in terms of frequency) and qualitatively (more semantic nuances and more condemnatory epithets). The semantic analysis of the data rules out the hypothesis that Scottish authors might have been particularly sensible towards this construction because of its nature as ‘provincial English’ or as a ‘Scotticism’. Rather, the author suggests that it was the ‘New Rhetoric’ movement (1748–1793) in the context of the Scottish Enlightenment that played a vital role in its stigmatisation. The importance of rhetoric as a facet of 18th-century prescriptivism, complementary to grammar, is thus put under the spotlight.
Résumé
Cet article offre des vues nouvelles sur la tradition normative du XVIIIe siècle, en se référant spécialement à la stigmatisation du rejet de la preposition (angl. ‘preposition stranding’). Il révèle le rôle des codificateurs écossais, qui contraste avec celui des codificateurs anglais : les ouvrages écrits par des Ecossais contiennent plus de commentaires critiques sur l’usage des prépositions placées en fin de phrase, tout à la fois sur le plan quantitatif (en termes de fréquence) que qualitatif (plus de nuances sémantiques et plus de qualificatifs condamnant cet usage). L’analyse sémantique des données ruine l’hypothèse selon laquelle les auteurs écossais auraient été particulièrement sensibles à cette construction, du fait de sa nature d’‘anglais provincial’ ou de ‘particularité ecossaise’. Plus exactement, l’auteur suggère que c’est le mouvement de la ‘Nouvelle Rhétorique’ (1748–1793), dans le contexte des Lumières écossaises, qui a joué un rôle crucial dans cette stigmatisation. L’importance de la rhétorique, comme une des facettes du prescriptivisme du XVIIIe siècle, en complément de la grammaire, est ainsi mise en lumière.
Zusammenfassung
Der Beitrag bietet neue Argumente zur normativen Tradition des Englischen, speziell was die Stigmatisierung ungewöhnlicher syntaktischer Verwendungen von Präpositionen anbelangt. Schottische normative Grammatiker unterscheiden sich hierin von ihren britischen Kollegen, finden sich doch in ihren Werken deutlich mehr kritische Kommentare hinsichtlich der Endstellung von Präpositionen als in den britischen, und dies sowohl in quantitativer (die Frequenz betreffend) als auch in qualitativer Hinsicht (mehr semantische Nuancen und mehr kritische Epitheta). Die semantische Analyse der Daten spricht gegen die Annahme, schottische Autoren seien besonders empfindlich gegen diese Konstruktionen gewesen, weil sie sie als ‘provinzielles Englisch’ oder als ‘Schottismen’ angesehen hätten. Die Verfasserin ist vielmehr der Ansicht, die ‘New Rhetoric’ (1748–1793) und die Schottische Aufklärung seien maßgeblich für die Stigmatisierung dieser syntaktischen Konstruktionen gewesen. Nicht zuletzt darin zeigt sich auch die Bedeutung der Rhetorik für die Grammatik und erweist sich als wichtiger Teilaspekt des Präskriptivismus des 18. Jahrhunderts.
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