The Functions of Auxiliary Do in Middle English Poetry: A Quantitative Study. (March 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Moretti, Lorenzo
• Is Part Of: Journal of English linguistics. Volume 51:Number 1(2023)
• Page Start: 3
• Page End: 29
• Publication Date: 2023-03
• Subjects: auxiliary do -- Middle English poetry -- conditional inference tree -- random forests -- usage-based linguistics; English language -- Periodicals; 420.5
• DOI: 10.1177/00754242221139881
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0075-4242

Abstract

The higher frequency of auxiliarydo in poetry than in prose in Middle English (1150-1500) is one of the puzzles of the history of this construction. Previous studies have argued that the role of auxiliarydo in poems was to place the infinitive at the end of the verse to make rhyme easier. The aim of this article is to examine to what extent auxiliarydo was used for rhyme purposes and, furthermore, to determine whether it had other functions. On the basis of a conditional inference tree and random forests, this paper shows that auxiliarydo was indeed used as a metrical tool to place the infinitive at the end of the verse to facilitate rhyme, although the degree to which poets used auxiliarydo varied from dialect to dialect. The statistical analysis reveals that the auxiliary construction served also other functions, particularly in the Eastern Midlands and Northern dialects, wheredo favored the integration of verbs of foreign origin and ensured the metricality of the verse by maintaining a regular distribution of the beats in the line.