The Early History of they
Forms, Functions and Etymology
Series: New Approaches to English Historical Linguistics;
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Product details:
- Publisher Springer Nature Switzerland
- Date of Publication 12 May 2026
- ISBN 9783032056849
- Binding Hardback
- No. of pages202 pages
- Size 210x148 mm
- Language English
- Illustrations XX, 202 p. 14 illus. 700
Categories
Long description:
This book challenges the long-held theory that the English pronouns they, their, them are loanwords from Old Norse, arguing instead that the pronouns ultimately derive from the Old English demonstratives þā – þāra – þām. Based on the most comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis yet published of third-person plural personal pronoun usage in early English, the study presents evidence of morphosyntactic and phonological continuity from Old to Middle English, particularly in the northern and (south)western dialects. It concludes that contact with Old Norse primarily reinforced existing native developments rather than introducing entirely new forms, thus highlighting the complex interplay of internal linguistic evolution and language contact that combined to shape they, their, them. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of Historical Linguistics, Language Variation and Change, Language Contact, as well as readers interested in the history of the English language.
MoreTable of Contents:
1. Introduction.- 2. Demonstratives and personal pronouns in Old English.- 3. Old English progenitor ‘th-’ forms and their early Middle English reflexes.- 4. Third-person plural personal pronoun usage in Early Middle English.- 5. Discussion and conclusions.
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