英語史における属格付与子の変遷について

抄録

This article concerns the historical transition of genitive Case assigner in noun phrases. It is argued that genitive Case assigner changed from N to D in the history of English. To be more specific, in OE, N could assign (inherent) genitive Case either to the right or to the left, while D was inert in Case assignment. Genitive Case assignment to the right was lost in early ME, and the preposition of was chosen as a new Case assigner for a postnominal noun phrase. D, a (structural) genitive Case assigner, was only activated in his-genitive constructions in early ME. As his-genitives flourished from late ME through early ModE, however, Case assignment by D diminished Case assignment by N, and finally, the former overwhelmed the latter. Thus, D is a genitive Case assigner for a prenominal possessor in PE.